US Adds Iranian Planes To List Of Aircraft Violating Russia Sanctions

The US on Monday said it added three Iranian cargo planes serving Russia to a list of aircraft violating US export controls under the Biden administration's sanctions.

Using commercially available data, the Commerce Department identified Boeing 747s operated by Mahan Air, Qeshm Fars Air and Iran Air transporting goods, including electronic items, to Russia in apparent violation of stringent US export controls on Russia related to its invasion of Ukraine. These are the first three Iranian airplanes identified, the department said.

The department has warned that any refueling, maintenance, repair, spare parts or services violate US export controls and subject companies to US enforcement actions.

Iran has publicly announced its intention to expand cooperation with Russia in the aviation sector by providing spare parts for its airplanes, the Commerce Department said.

The US and Ukraine have said that Iran has already provided military drones to Russia that are being used in the war.

With the additions, there were 183 aircraft on the list for apparent violations of US export controls. The three Iranian airlines identified Monday were already subject to a variety of restrictions by the US government.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod said US "controls, especially on items such as electronics and aircraft parts, have degraded Russia’s defense industrial base, severely restricted their access to the world economy."

"When Russia seeks to engage pariah states like Iran in order to backfill for what the international community has cut off, we will take action to thwart such attempts and disrupt such connections," he added.

Reporting by Reuters