US Treasury sole snag against Iran airplane purchase

By  Trend

Iran’s Minister of Transport Abbas Akhondi has blamed US Treasury restrictions as the only thing that hampers Iran’s attempts to buy airplanes.

“The [success of] all the talks that are being held for making contracts are contingent upon an ease of restrictions by the US Treasury,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an international aviation conference in Tehran, the IRIB news agency reported September 18.

Deputy Managing Director of Boeing Martin Benturd had two days earlier said the company is prepared to sell planes to Iran, adding however that the sales should be permitted by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Intense competition between two giant aircraft manufacturers has posed obstacles over Iran's purchase of Airbus crafts, an Iranian aviation official said in June.

Secretary of Association of Iranian Airlines Companies Maqsoud Asadi Samani has said that the major deal Tehran signed with Airbus to purchase 118 planes from the European aviation giant is still pending authorization from the US.

Meanwhile the Americans seek to resolve the issue of a possible deal on exporting Boeing aircrafts to Iran before issuing the authorization for Airbus purchase, he added.

The official added that the Iranian aviation company is in talks with Airbus and Boeing to settle the issue.

US approval for Iran's purchase of Airbus crafts is necessary because more than 10 percent of components in Airbus planes are of American origin.

Meanwhile all those individuals aiming to do business with Iran need to apply for OFAC license from the US Treasury.