Illustration of potential Iran Air Boeing 777-300ER series [rendering by Bobby Catone]
A bill in Congress has been introduced that could potentially block civilian passenger jet deals between Airbus and Boeing and Iran.
According to CNN:
Peter Roskam, a Republican member of the House, introduced a bill on Friday to initiate an investigation by the Trump administration's Director of National Intelligence into Iran Air and the nation's other airlines.
If Iran Air or any other airline were to be found to support the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or foreign terrorist organizations, the airline would be added to the U.S. sanctions list and be prevented from receiving new aircraft or U.S.-made parts. That would effectively freeze the sale of jets from Boeing to Iran.
The legislation would exert little control over the Airbus aircraft that are already delivered, but the airline would not be able to receive spare parts for those planes, or receive any maintenance outside of Iran. If Iran Air received maintenance or parts outside of Iran, that provider would be barred from doing business with the U.S. market.What is at stake from an American standpoint, according to Boeing is the sale of 80 aircraft that includes 50 737 MAX 8s, 15 777-300ERs and 15 777-9s, valued at $16.6 billion at list prices.
COMMENT: Back in 2012 the Obama Administration identified Iran Air or its freight division of ferrying weapons to Syria, so linkage to the IRGC-QF appears plausible.
What is clear is that for a majority in Congress, the passenger aircraft deal made possible by JCPOA remains unpalatable. First and foremost, it would initiate a level normalization of relations between the U.S. and Iran, as well as for Western allies.
Passenger jetliners serve as potential transports during wartime. The United States has a record of using such aircraft and related carriers during wartime. So do Iran and their allies. For example during the buildup for the Battle of Aleppo, Iran-supported Iraqi PMF were ferried from Iraqi airports using civilian jetliners.
Iran Air has a history of sanctions being levied against it. Back in 2006 the U.S. allowed the EU to resume spare parts sales and deliveries and more recently the JCPOA removed U.S. sanctions from the airline.
The Iranians appeared to have recently shifted American-origin passenger jetliner aircraft operated by airlines still under sanction, over to Iran Air. This appears to be the case with IRIG Boeing 737-286/Adv reg. EP-AGA (msn 21317); no longer operated by Meraj Air but now maintained by Iran Air (see photo below).
There is a lot at stake in this potential development, including:
1) Tens of billions of dollars to the aerospace industry
2) The political fate of a moderate Iranian president in the upcoming election
3) The landmark Iran nuclear deal, itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment