Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization has officially dismissed allegations that the country intends to buy Russian aircraft after the sanctions are lifted. Last week, the Russian news agency Sputnik International quoted caretaker director of CAO, Mohammad Khodakarami as saying that Iran was planning to hold talks on the purchase of passenger planes to renew its aging air fleet. The organization released an official disclaimer afterwards saying Khodakarami “has not expressed any views on purchase of new aircraft in any interview with Russian media.” CAO added that “for the sake of renovating the air fleet, the organization will review all the options with due care and will not limit its choices to a particular company or country.” The organization also stresses that it will consider all the technical and safety aspects in making purchases. Earlier, Khodakarami was quoted as saying that Iran is planning to buy up to 45 planes a year from Boeing and Airbus each after sanctions imposed by the US, EU and UN Security Council on Iran over its nuclear energy program are lifted.
