Former Iranian-owned Boeing plane linked to terrorist group returned to the US

The US government has seized a Boeing 747 cargo plane, alleging violations of export control laws involving a sanctioned Iranian airline and a state-owned Venezuelan firm.

The Justice Department announced on Monday that the American-built aircraft, previously operated by Iranian airline Mahan Air, was transferred to Emtrasur, a Venezuelan cargo airline linked to a sanctioned state-owned entity.

Authorities claim the transfer occurred without US government authorization, breaching export control laws and allegedly benefiting Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Mahan Air has for years been subject to US government restrictions on its business.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the head of the department’s national security division, said in a statement: “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that the full force of US laws deny hostile state actors the means to engage in malign activities that threaten our national security.”

This photo taken on May 8, 2022 shows a Boeing 747 UPS cargo aircraft, pictured from Sado island, Niigata prefecture. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

The plane’s detention originated in June 2022 by Argentine law enforcement, with the US taking possession weeks later following an official transfer of custody from Argentina. The Justice Department stated that the plane, now in US possession, would be “prepared for disposition,” without providing further details.

Officials identified the registered captain as a former Revolutionary Guard commander and cited flight logs showing unauthorized trips to Moscow, Caracas, and Tehran after the transfer to Emtrasur. Mahan Air denied involvement with the aircraft, while Venezuela demanded its release from Argentine authorities.

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Criticism emerged from a Venezuelan-led alliance, condemning Argentina’s role and characterizing the U.S. seizure as “theft.” The Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America — Peoples’ Trade Treaty, commonly known as the Alba Alliance, denounced the action as an infringement of international law and sovereignty.

The group said in a statement: “This aggression is another consequence of the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the government of the United States that threaten the sovereignty of Venezuela and violate the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law.” Established in 2004 to counter US influence, the Alba Alliance includes Nicaragua, Bolivia, and select Caribbean nations.

In a previous statement in August 2022, Olsen had said: “The Department of Justice will not tolerate transactions that violate our sanctions and export laws. Working with our partners across the globe, we will give no quarter to governments and state-sponsored entities looking to evade our sanctions and export control regimes in service of their malign activities.”