US blacklists Iran Air Cargo

THE US has declared Iran Air and its subsidiaries, which includes Iran Air Cargo, a “proliferator of weapons of mass destruction”. Now no US individual or company can do business with the carrier and any assets it has within US jurisdictions will be frozen.

The US alleges Iran Air gave material support and services to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL). Specifically the US claims the airline shipped mechanical and electronic parts and equipment for the IRGC and the MODAFL and titanium sheets that could be used in the manufacture of rockets.

“Rockets or missiles have been transported via Iran Air passenger aircraft, and IRGC officers occasionally take control over Iran Air flights carrying special IRGC-related cargo,” the US Treasury Department added, saying the carrier had also transported missile and rocket components to Syria.

In March 2008, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution that asked any country to inspect cargo on aircraft owned or operated by Iran Air Cargo if they have reasonable grounds.