Iran Air looking for planes not needing US sales permit

Iran Air is looking to buy planes from any company not requiring US sales permits and may consider Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100, the flag carrier’s head was quoted as saying, as Iran tries to renew its ageing fleet despite facing US sanctions.

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)revoked licences for Boeing Co and Airbus to sell passenger jets to Iran after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in May and reimposed sanctions.

“We welcome any (company) which is able to provide the planes needed by IranAir. We even have gone after planes such as Sukhoi 100 or planes made by non-European countries,” said IranAir Chief Executive Farzaneh Sharafbafi, quoted by Iran’s Roads Ministry website.

Most modern commercial planes have more than 10 per cent in US parts, the threshold for needing US Treasury approval. But Russian officials have been reported as saying Sukhoi is working on reducing the number of US parts in the hopes of winning an Iranian order for up to 100 aircraft.

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“We will consider plane purchases if these companies can sell planes to Iran without an OFAC licence, and are willing to negotiate,” Sharafbafi added. She gave no further details.

IranAir had ordered 200 passenger aircraft – 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR. All the deals were dependent on US licences because of the heavy use of American parts in commercial planes.