A Boeing 747 plane of Mahan Air. Illustrative image. Source: Wikimedia user (Amin Nouabahr).
Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia on July 4 pushed back against reports claiming that the kingdom transferred a number of of Boeing 777 aircraft it previously owned to an Iranian airline under sanctions.
In a statement posted on the social media network X, the airline said the aircraft were sold on June 7, 2023, to a company registered outside Saudi Arabia and that the transaction was carried out in accordance with all applicable commercial and legal procedures.
“Since the completion of the sale, Saudia has had no operational or commercial relationship with the aircraft,” the airline added, without identifying the buyer or providing further details.
The statement came in response to reports linking the former Saudia aircraft to a sanctioned carrier in Iran. According to the reports, five used Boeing 777-268ER widebody jets from the Saudi airline have been delivered to Iran’s Mahan Air, with two confirmed at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport.
Mahan Air is heavily sanctioned by the United States and European Union for allegedly acting as a logistical and transport arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The airline was accused of moving weapons, and military personnel to allies of Iran worldwide.
While the American-made aircraft were transferer to Iran indirectly, it is still hard to see this without the approval of the U.S., which keep tracks of such deals.
It is very possible that the transfer of the aircraft was greenlighted by the U.S. as a part of its recent deal with the Islamic Republic to end the way.
Iran lost at least 18 civilian aircraft during the war, started by the U.S. and Israel on February 28. Some of the aircraft were operated by Mahan Air. The aircraft transferred indirectly from Saudi Arabia will make up for some of these losses, and they may meant as a compensation.
It’s worth noting that a single used Boeing 777-268ER widebody could cost upwards of $45 million, which means the total price tag for five could be as high as $225 million.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
