In a statement on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani condemned the US’ “illegal” seizure and transfer of the Venezuelan Boeing 747 cargo plane.
Denouncing the “unjust appropriation” of the plane, the spokesman said it amounts to a hijack, a result of the US’ unilateral coercive measures, and a violation of the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law.
He also expressed Iran’s decisive support for Venezuela’s legal and diplomatic efforts and measures to reclaim the plane and have access to its properties.
The US government has seized a Boeing 747 cargo plane that officials allege was previously sold by a sanctioned Iranian airline to Venezuela in violation of American export control laws.
The Justice Department said on Monday that the American-built plane had arrived in Florida and would be disposed of.
The plane had earlier been transferred from Iranian airline Mahan Air to Emtrasur, a Venezuelan cargo airline and subsidiary of a state-owned firm that had previously been sanctioned by the US, according to the AP.
American officials claim that the sale, done without US government authorization, violated export control laws. Mahan Air of Iran has for years been subject to US government sanctions.