2 US Senators: Aseman-Boeing Deal Unblockable

EghtesadOnline: US Senators Ben Cardin and John McCain say Iran Aseman Airlines’ multibillion dollar deal with Boeing for up to 60 passenger jets is unlikely to be blocked by the US Congress.

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06 April 2017

Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland who is the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying there is little Congress can do to block the plane sale as long as it meets the terms set out in the nuclear deal.

His remarks were echoed by Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona who has been a leading voice against the nuclear deal.

“I have opposed the Iranian agreement and I am not interested in doing anything to help the Iranians but what they’ve done is completely legal,” Financial Tribune quoted McCain as saying.

“They’ve got the money and it’s not a weapons system, so it doesn’t require any involvement from the Congress.”

According to the US Department of Commerce, an aerospace sale of this magnitude creates or sustains approximately 18,000 jobs in the United States, read a Boeing statement on the signed deal with Aseman.

Under the preliminary agreement, which was signed on March 18 but was publicized on Tuesday, Aseman will purchase 30 Boeing 737-Max aircraft worth $3 billion based on list prices, with the option of adding 30 more in the future.

The purchase would help modernize Iran Aseman’s fleet after the carrier in December was banned by the European Union for “unaddressed deficiencies”.