U.S. lands sanctions on Iranian cargo airline

OFAC adds Qeshm Fars Air to its list of sanctioned entities for its role in transporting weapons to support Iran’s military operations in Syria.    The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has placed sanctions on Iranian air cargo airline Qeshm Fars Air for its transport of weapons and other equipment in support of Iran’s military activities in the Syrian civil war. 
   Qeshm Fars Air, which originally operated as a commercial airline between 2006 and 2013, restarted operations in 2017. The airline’s fleet includes two Boeing 747 aircraft, which provide regular cargo flights to Damascus.
   The airline joins Iran’s Mahan Air among the U.S.-sanctioned Iranian persons and enterprises. 
   OFAC said Mahan Air employees fill Qeshm Fars Air management positions, and Mahan Air provides technical and operational support to Qeshm Fars Air.  
   “The delivery of lethal materiel by Qeshm Fars Air enables Iran’s military support for the Assad regime, prolonging the brutal conflict and the suffering of millions of Syrians and has resulted in the displacement of millions across the region,” the Treasury Department said.
   U.S. sanctions block all property and interests in property of Qeshm Fars Air in the U.S. or in possession of control of U.S. persons and generally prohibit U.S. business dealings with the airline. Violation of the sanctions could resort in significant civil or criminal penalties.