Any Civil Aviation Ban Would Violate Nuclear Deal

EghtesadOnline: Any restrictions by European countries on Iran’s civil aviation would be in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Tehran and major powers, a senior lawmaker said.

News ID: ۷۴۶۳۹۸

31 December 2018

“Relief from unilateral and inhumane sanctions was one of the main terms of JCPOA, which western countries have to abide by,” Masoud Goudarzi, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told ICANA in remarks published on Friday, using the abbreviation for the nuclear accord’s formal name—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The MP made the statements in reference to a recent report by the Bild newspaper that says Germany plans to ban flights in and out of the country by Iran’s Mahan Air, which is under US sanctions over allegations of transporting troops and supplies into Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

Bild said the German government had taken the decision to stop Mahan Air from operating its flights to Dusseldorf and Munich after intensive deliberations on US demands, according to Financial Tribune.

A German government spokesman said he could not comment on the report in Bild, which said Mahan Air would be banned in January.

Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, said last week that he could not confirm the report in the absence of an official notification.

Economic Benefits

Goudarzi said Iran’s economic benefits under the agreement have to be preserved and no restriction should be placed on the country’s civil aviation sector.

The US government has sanctioned several companies for their links to Mahan Air, including a Thai aviation company and a Malaysia-based sales agent, Reuters reported.

The US Embassy in Berlin has criticized Germany for allowing the airline to fly to the two major cities.

Germany and its European Union partners are at odds with the US policy toward Iran.

US President Donald Trump in May pulled out of the nuclear pact, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for limits on its nuclear program, and reinstated sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

France and Germany are leading efforts to ensure Iran gets sufficient economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal.

Goudarzi dismissed the allegations against Mahan Air and called on European leaders to not follow US hostile policies on Iran and instead make efforts to “safeguard the achievements of JCPOA”.