US House Passes Legislation to Stop Sale of Boeing Aircraft to Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A week before the one-year anniversary of the July 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and other world powers, the Republican-led US House of Representatives approved measures aimed at blocking US companies from selling commercial passenger aircraft to Tehran.
By voice vote Thursday, lawmakers passed two amendments directed at Chicago-based Boeing, which had offered Iranian airlines three models of new aircraft to replace the country's aging fleet.
The legislation was added to a financial services spending bill that the House cleared by vote of 239-185, AP reported.
The House must reconcile differences between its bill and the Senate's version. The Obama administration is certain to threaten to veto any legislation that undermines the nuclear agreement with Iran.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) reached the landmark nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015. The deal ended international economic sanctions against Tehran, allowing airline manufacturers to re-enter the market.
Head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) Ali Abedzadeh said in June that Tehran and US aerospace giant Boeing have reached a deal for the purchase of 100 aircraft in a bid to upgrade the country's aging fleet.
Back in January, Iran had also signed a major deal worth $27 billion with aviation giant Airbus to purchase 118 planes from the company. The deal with Airbus was sealed during a state visit to Paris by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran has a fleet of 250 aircraft, of which 90 are grounded due to the economy or missing parts, Managing Director of Iran Air Farhad Parvaresh said recently.
Of that total, 80 percent will need to be renewed in the next decade, he said, adding that growth could add even more jets to Iran’s shopping list.
