Iran Receives Planes ahead of US Sanctions

Local Editor

Iran has received five more ATR turboprop airplanes only a day before the return of US sanctions that have already torpedoed the country’s plane purchases with other major providers.

The planes that had left France’s Toulouse earlier in the day landed in Tehran’s International Mehrabad Airport on Sunday morning after a short stop for refueling in the northwestern city of Urmia.

They brought to 13 the total number of ATRs so far delivered to Iran’s flag carrier Iran Air.

This comes as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said renewed US sanctions on Iran will be rigorously enforced and remain in place until the Iranian government radically changes course.

The United States is set to re-impose sanctions on Tuesday following President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal in May.

Speaking to reporters aboard his plane on his way home from a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia, Pompeo said Monday's re-imposition of sanctions is an important pillar in US policy toward Iran.

He further claimed that the Trump administration is open to looking beyond sanctions but that would "require enormous change" from Tehran.

Pompeo called the Iranian leadership "bad actors" and said Trump is intent on getting them to "behave like a normal country".

Sanctions are due to return in two phases on August 6 and November 5 – with the first targeting Iran's access to US banknotes and key industries including cars and carpets.

The second phase – blocking Iran's oil sales – is due to cause more damage, although several countries including China, India and Turkey have indicated they are not willing to entirely cut their Iranian energy purchases.

After months of fierce rhetoric, Trump surprised observers last week when he offered to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani without preconditions.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team