US begins unblocking jetliner sales to Iran

Sources also quoted a spokesman for Airbus as having said the company had received a US license covering a total of 17 aircraft slated for early delivery.

Although based in Europe, Airbus needs US approval because some parts of the jets are made in the US.

Iran and Airbus agreed over the purchase of 118 aircraft back in January.

Iran reached another agreement with Boeing in June. But it was later announced that a deal would be possible to carry out only after it was permitted by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a subsidiary of the US Treasury.

The mere prospects of the deals have benefited the two companies. Shortly after the agreements with Iran were made, the value of Boeing’s shares on the stock market jumped meaningfully.

Also seeing the positive impact, Airbus increased its prices by about 1.1 percent, with the result that its most economical aircraft, the A318, was priced $1.75 million.

Tehran wants to buy up to 500 aircraft over the next decade to rejuvenate its aging fleet.

The Airbus and Boeing deals’ push-through will find large political implications in Iran as well.

The government has been under a lot of domestic pressure after its January nuclear deal with world powers. Right-wing activists say the deal has changed nothing because Iran is still unable to carry out international business transactions even after nuclear-related sanctions on Iran have been removed.

If he manages to materialize the Airbus deal, President Hassan Rouhani will have delivered his critics a hard blow, especially as Iran is preparing for another round of presidential election in mid-2017 when Rouhani is expected to run for a second term.

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