US lifts sanctions on Iranian airline and aircraft in quiet policy shift

The United States Treasury Department has quietly removed Flyby Baghdad airline and two Boeing 737 aircraft from its Iran sanctions list, marking an unexpected development in American policy towards Tehran. The delisting occurred without public announcement or explanation from US officials. The move suggests a potential recalibration in Washington’s approach to Iranian entities, though the broader sanctions regime remains firmly in place. The airline’s chief executive has notably remained on the sanctions list, maintaining direct links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the country’s most powerful military institution.

Flyby Baghdad operates as a regional carrier with connections throughout the Middle East and has been subject to American sanctions due to alleged connections to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The removal of the airline itself and its two aircraft from the sanctions designation represents an unusual concession, particularly given the Biden administration’s stated commitment to maintaining pressure on Iranian entities linked to the IRGC.

The absence of public explanation from the US Treasury Department has led to speculation about the reasoning behind the decision. Diplomatic sources suggest the move may be connected to ongoing negotiations or back-channel discussions between Washington and Tehran, though no official confirmation has been provided. The decision to maintain sanctions on the airline’s leadership while removing the entity itself creates an unusual legal situation that analysts say warrants clarification from American officials.

This development comes amid broader discussions about the future of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and US-Iran relations, though the timing and rationale remain unclear to observers.

Source: Maariv — Original article in Hebrew.