New US Probe May Dim Boeing Deal Prospects

EghtesadOnline: An Iranian airline under sanctions by the US for ferrying weapons and fighters into Syria repeatedly bought US-made jet engines and parts through Turkish front companies over the past several years, most recently in December, federal investigators said in a new US government filing.

News ID: ۷۴۵۰۲۹

21 February 2018

The US says in the filing that a Turkish woman set up a series of shell companies to buy equipment from US suppliers for Iran’s Mahan Air, helping the airline circumvent the longstanding sanctions and fueling suspicions about Iran within the administration of US President Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The revelation could bolster a case by some within the Trump administration against granting Boeing licenses to sell Iran scores of new planes, a multibillion-dollar deal inked after Tehran signed the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement.

The filing documents purchases from September 2016 through December 2017. The Trump administration is considering whether to grant the Boeing licenses to sell planes to another airline, Iran Air, as the White House takes a more aggressive stance on Iran and steps up sanctions, Financial Tribune reported.