Germany sanctions Iranian airline over spying claims

The German government on Monday imposed sanctions against Iranian airline Mahan Air in connection to Iran’s illegal activities in Europe, including the discovery of a spy working as a translator for the country’s armed forces .

Germany’s Federal Aviation Office withdrew Mahan Air’s operating permit in Germany with immediate effect.

A spokesperson for the Transport Ministry said the airline had been informed it had to suspend all connections in and out of Germany.

Mahan Air cargo flights to Syria and other war zones made teh move vital to “protect Germany’s foreign and security policy interests,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson added.

For years, US authorities have accused Mahan Air of maintaining close ties to the elite Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. In 2011, the US Treasury designated Mahan Air a material supporter of terrorism for supporting the group.

A threat to Europe

Earlier this month, European authorities imposed punitive measures against Iran’s Intelligence and Security Ministry for thwarted attacks and assassination attempts against Iranian opposition in France, Denmark, the Netherlands and other EU countries.

Iranian agents have been accused of attempting to bomb an opposition rally in Paris and assassinate Iranian Arab dissidents in Denmark and the Netherlands.

In July, Germany arrested and later deported an Iranian diplomat for providing a Belgian-Iranian couple with a bomb to commit the attack in Paris.

Read more: US welcomes German firms’ compliance on Iran sanctions

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• US sanctions and who they target

  Iran

  US sanctions on Iran target Tehran’s trade in gold and precious metals, block the sales of passenger jets, and restrict Iran’s purchase of US dollars, among other punitive measures. The US is also planing to block Iran’s key oil sales in the next tranche of sanctions, which is due to go into force in November.

• US sanctions and who they target

  North Korea

  Impovershed North Korea is under a UN-backed embargo, but Washington also maintains an extensive regime of sanctions on its own. For example, the US strictly bans exporting weapons to the pariah state. Also, the US uses its global clout to penalize non-US banks and companies who do business with Pyongyang.

• US sanctions and who they target

  Syria

  Washington trade restrictions prevent the regime of Bashar Assad exporting Syrian oil to the US. All property and assets of the Syrian government in the US are frozen. Americans, wherever in the world they might be, are banned from “new investment” in the war-torn country, according to the US Treasury.

• US sanctions and who they target

  Russia

  The US blacklisted scores of high-ranking Russian officials and businessmen after the 2014 Crimea crisis, halting them from traveling to the US and freezing their assets. The comprehensive sanctions list includes goods from the Russian-annexed region, such as Crimean wine. New sanctions imposed in the aftermath of the Skripal poisoning target sensitive national security and defense goods.

• US sanctions and who they target

  Cuba

  American tourists started flocking to Cuba immediately after the Obama administration initiated a thaw in relations in 2016. Under Donald Trump, however, the White House reimposed travel restrictions for US citizens, making it much harder for Americans to travel to the island. At least one Obama-era concession is still in place, however: it is still legal to bring Cuban cigars and rum to the US.

  Author: Darko Janjevic

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-sanctions-iranian-airline-over-spying-claims/a-47161357