The Trump administration is coming under increased pressure from Congress to kill a landmark deal between Boeing and an Iranian airline known for engaging in terrorism over concerns the Western airline company would enable Tehran’s transfer of militant fighters across the region, according to multiple sources, who told the Washington Free Beacon the administration is likely to nix the multi-billion dollar deal.
The Obama administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran paved the way for U.S. aerospace corporation Boeing to ink a deal with Iran’s state-controlled airline, Iran Air, which was recently caught using its commercial planes to ferry Iranian militants to regional hotspots.
The Trump administration’s recent decision to increase economic pressure on Iran and rework the nuclear agreement has prompted a shift in thinking on the Boeing sales, which require special licenses from the Treasury Department to move forward, according to U.S. officials and those in Congress who are familiar with the shift in thinking on the issue.
The Trump administration is said to be viewing the sales with an increasingly critical eye and is moving, at this point, toward killing the sales, according to these sources, who pointed to concerns over Iran Air’s use of commercial airplanes for terrorism purposes.
