The United States Thursday imposed sanctions on several Iranian and Turkish companies and a number of aircraft in a move targeting four Iranian airlines. The companies targeted were linked to Mahan Air and Meraj Air, the U.S. Treasury Department said. It added it was targeting a number of their aircraft, as well as aircraft from Caspian Airlines and Pouya Air.
The United States said the airlines had ferried weapons, fighters and money to proxies in Syria and Lebanon. Washington also threatened sanctions against those granting landing rights and providing services to the aircraft.
“The deceptive practices these airlines employ to illegally obtain services and U.S. goods is yet another example of the duplicitous ways in which the Iranian regime has operated,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
Washington also targeted three individuals, one from Turkey and two Iranians, who it said were linked to the airlines and aviation firms.
The sanctions were the latest in the United States’ efforts to economically strangle Iran with the hopes of blocking the country’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Earlier this month, the United States withdrew from a 2015 nuclear accord that had lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs to its nuclear program, dismaying U.S. allies who want to preserve it.
The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, which is policing the accord, said Thursday that Iran continues to comply with the terms of its nuclear deal with world powers despite the U.S. withdrawal, but could be faster and more proactive in allowing inspections. Speaking at a news conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, French President Emmanuel Macron said the report went in the “right direction and was comforting.”
President Vladimir Putin said Russia appreciated efforts by Europe to save the Iran nuclear deal despite the withdrawal of the United States and warned of “lamentable consequences” if it was not preserved.
Putin made the comments after talks with Macron.
Diplomats who follow the agency said an inspection last month went down to the wire, but a senior diplomat also familiar with the IAEA’s work said Thursday the report was not taking Iran to task.
“There was no problem. It’s just an encouragement. The IAEA wants to make sure that there won’t be any problem,” he said, adding that there had been no change in Iranian behavior either over the first quarter of 2018 or since Trump’s announcement.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the entire accord is flawed because restrictions lapse over time and it does not address Iran’s ballistic missile program or Tehran’s role in regional conflicts like the wars in Syria and Yemen.
Some Western companies such as French oil giant Total have already said they may have to quit Iran because of the U.S. move. Senior officials from the other countries that signed the deal – France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China and Iran – are meeting in Vienna Friday to discuss next steps.
Tuesday, the United States imposed sanctions on five Iranians it said had provided Yemen’s Houthi rebels with weaponry and expertise to launch missiles at cities and oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s supreme leader has laid out a number of conditions for Tehran to stay in the deal, and senior officials from the countries still in it – China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom – are meeting in Vienna Friday to discuss the next steps.
Separately, Macron said France and Russia want to create a coordination mechanism between world powers to push ahead with finding a political solution in Syria.
Macron said the idea was to coordinate efforts carried out by the Astana process that comprises Russia, Turkey and Iran and the “small group,” which was initiated by France, and comprises Britain, Germany, Jordan, the United States and Saudi Arabia.
“We need to be talking about the situation after the war. The key is to build a stable Syria,” Macron said at the news conference in St. Petersburg.
He said the two agreed that focus should be on a new constitution and setting up inclusive elections that would include all Syrians, including refugees.
Macron also said he had discussed with Putin France’s hopes to create an international mechanism for attributing responsibility for chemical weapons attacks. Putin made no mention of the initiative.
Reuters
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