US Move to Block Plane Sales Denounced

A parliamentary official denounced measures recently passed by the US House of Representatives to block the sale of passenger airplanes to Iran as a “blatant” breach of the 2015 Iran nuclear pact. “The decision by the US House of Representatives to ban airplane sales to Iran is a blatant violation of JCPOA,” Chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi told ICANA on Sunday. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is officially called, scaled down Tehran’s nuclear work in return for a partial relief from international sanctions that raised the prospect of a boost in Iran’s foreign trade. The US measures on Wednesday came despite warnings from some Democrats that it would undermine the international accord. The house voted for two amendments to a 2018 government spending package that would prohibit the use of funds to authorize financial transactions for the sales and prevent the Office of Foreign Assets Control from clearing licenses to allow aircraft sales.  Similar amendments were also adopted as part of a spending bill last year but did not become law.