Aviation sources said the Treasury Department is expected within “days” to begin unblocking Boeing’s deal to sell or lease over 100 jets to Iran.
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Airbus and Boeing announced Wednesday that they received U.S. licenses to sell planes to Iran Air, clearing the way for the first western aircraft sales to the country in decades.
Licenses are required for the sale of most modern aircraft due to their widespread use of US parts.
Airbus also confirmed on the same day that it had received a license for an initial sale of 17 planes.
Earlier this year, national airliner Iran Air signed agreements to buy 118 planes from Airbus in a deal estimated to be worth some 22.8 billion euros ($25 billion).
Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, which limits its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of some global sanctions, specifically allowed for the purchase of aircraft and parts.
The House of Representatives voted in July to block aircraft sales by Airbus and Boeing to Iran and sought a legislation to block the Treasury Department from licensing the sales and to prevent loans from USA institutions to finance the deals.
The license, granted by an obscure US Treasury Department bureau, comes as Boeing continues to negotiate terms to provide as many as 109 jetliners to Iran Air, the Chicago-based planemaker said in an e-mailed statement.
Iran’s United Nations mission did not respond to a request for comment.
Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, which limits its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of some global sanctions, specifically allowed for the purchase of aircraft and parts.
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What would any airline want with more than 200 new planes? Out of Iran’s 250 commercial planes, 162 were flying in June, while the rest were grounded due to lack of spare parts. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
