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Home » News » US Seizes 747-300 It Says That Iran Illegally Sold To Venezuela
Law In TravelNews

US Seizes 747-300 It Says That Iran Illegally Sold To Venezuela

Matthew Klint Posted onFebruary 13, 2024 19 Comments

a large white airplane on a runway

With the help of Argentina, the US is now in custody of an ex-Mahan Air Boeing 747-300 that is says was illegally transferred to a Venezuelan cargo carrier in violation of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

US Seizes 747-300 In Argentina, Drawing Rebuke Of Iran And Venezuela

The 747 was purchased by Emtrasur, a Venezuelan cargo airline. When on the ground in Buenos Aires, Argentina in June 2022, the aircraft was seized and not allowed to take off. Since then it has sat on the ground in Argentina as the US worked to take repossession of it. The aircraft was released by Argentina on Sunday and landed in Florida yesterday.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen explained:

“The seized American-built aircraft was transferred by a sanctioned Iranian airline in a transaction that violated U.S. export control laws and directly benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is a designated terrorist organization. The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that the full force of U.S. laws deny hostile state actors the means to engage in malign activities that threaten our national security.”

Assistant Secretary of Export Enforcement’s Matthew S. Axelrod added:

“Mahan Air – known to ferry weapons and fighters for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hizballah – violated our export restrictions by selling this airplane to a Venezuelan cargo airline.  Now, it’s property of the United States government,” said A. “This seized airplane’s arrival in the United States is a powerful example of our unceasing efforts to prevent Iran and its proxies from leveraging and profiting from U.S. technology.”

By technology does he mean the 747-300, built between 1982 and 1990? I guess so…

“Foreign adversaries – seeking to illegally use American-made products to further their endeavors – need to know that the United States government will work with the international community to hold them accountable for their illegal conduct. The United States appreciates the collaboration with our Argentinian law enforcement and judicial partners.”

The US further claim that the aircraft was being piloted by an ex-Mahan Air pilot and that even after the transfer to Emtrasur, the aircraft continued to fly to places like Moscow and Tehran.

Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but am I the only that finds this is a little bit troubling? I think the regimes in both Iran and Venezuela are deplorable, so there is no love lost there, but I guess I will have to brush up on the law that says that the USA can just take back an aircraft because it was made in the USA.

What troubles me is that if the US can just demand that Argentina hand over an aircraft that Mahan Air owned and sold to to Emtrasur, think what they can do to you…

We’ve written before the practice of forfeitures before and the seizures of cash for those who choose to carry “too much” through US airports. A government which can decide to take what it wants from a foreign country…can certainly do the same to you or me.

CONCLUSION

The US will now “dispose” of the 747-300, which is another sad twist to the story. I don’t suppose there are any US cargo carriers that will want it and sending this bird to the boneyard is a sad end to this Queen.

While I am thankful when it is made more difficult to transfer illicit technology and weapons between Caracas and Tehran or Moscow, there is a certain fear that comes knowing your own government can simply take what it wants, when it wants…


image: X/ @polianalitica

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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19 Comments

  1. Alert Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 9:19 am

    After being grounded in Argentina for 1 1/2 years , I’m a little surprised it was flyable to Florida .

  2. lars Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 9:30 am

    So there’s no dispute that Mahan Air owned the plane outright, and decided to sell it to a Venezuelan company. I too fail to see what business it is of the US government to interfere in a business transaction having nothing to do with it, aside from the fact that the plane was made in the US however far back. Just an odd “flex.”

    And, big picture, it’s not like this really hurts Iran much. We’ve given them literally hundreds millions of dollars (billions?) in recent years. But yeah blowing up the transaction consisting of this old bird will show ‘em!

  3. Steve Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 9:31 am

    Matthew,
    The US can’t just “take it back;” Argentina was the one who seized it…they had to ok the transfer.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 13, 2024 at 10:20 am

      Well, I suppose but the US laid claim on it June 2022 and Argentina just held it until it decided, under the new government, to let it go to the USA. Argentina seized it under the direction of the USA.

      • Steve Reply
        February 13, 2024 at 10:40 am

        Valid…but incidents like that (whether property or persons) are a dime a dozen. I lothe civil asset forfeiture as much as the next guy, and think it’s gov’t sanctioned theft, but comparing this incident to that is apples to oranges, imo.

      • EN Reply
        February 14, 2024 at 10:33 pm

        Yeah that’s how the world works. The US can pretty much do whatever it wants because it has the largest military. If another country tried the same thing they get sanctioned or bombed and all of our “friends” need to go along with it. I guess it’s good to be an American I certainly try not to advertise the fact when I’m visiting some other countries.

  4. Bob Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 9:51 am

    “…can certainly do the same to you or me”

    Fair warning for those of us that are also despotic regimes running a series of proxy wars against the U.S. and could therefore become a target of lawfare.

  5. Maryland Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 9:59 am

    As I understand this the sanctions were made against the Venezuelan cargo carrier for their actions. Perfectly legal. This repo was done to carry out those sanctions. Good.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 13, 2024 at 10:19 am

      The cargo carrier is a subsidiary of Conviassa, the flag carrier. But I still have trouble with the US claiming it can just take back an aircraft because it originated in the USA.

      • Maryland Reply
        February 13, 2024 at 10:34 am

        Perhaps it is stated in a confusing manner, as the financial sanctions gave the US custody of the property. Not so much because the technology originated in the US . But I do believe we will use that argument more frequently with future assets seized. Just a guess.

      • Kip Reply
        February 13, 2024 at 12:40 pm

        From my previous work in the aerospace industry, this is how ITAR works. The underlying technologies are still controlled by US and can’t be owned by just anyone.Not sure the legal term but basically mimics a license. Anytime Boeing sells an airplane and any other technology, it has to be first cleared by the US government, even if made by private industry.

        It’s the same with the Chip industry. The US government is able to control the sales of US manufacturing equipment because it is considered high risk and high importance to the US

      • Samus Aran Reply
        February 15, 2024 at 2:33 pm

        Completely against this action. It’s a blatant violation of other countries’ sovereignty.

  6. MikePS Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 11:17 am

    U.S. Export Laws do apply for any sanctioned country. Iran is sanctioned under EAR and ITAR. Most commercial aircraft will have parts which are EAR classified by the Dept. of Commerce. In addition Venezuela is a prohibited country under ITAR. Any US Technology that could be dual-use can be seized by the USG in re-export, which is what occurred here. US technology sold under a license or to US persons and US company in the US do not follow under these regulations.

  7. Kip Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 12:44 pm

    The ownership of the plane by Iran was allowed since it was sold to Iran before restrictions. What happened recently was that the US government blocked sales of maintenance equipment and parts. Iran instead started buying parts off black market and develop their own industry to maintain and manufacture parts as they see fit. This is all done without the assistance of Boeing, making any plane that undergoes maintenance in Iran a nightmare to deal with when it goes to a non restricted country. Same thing with Russian Airbus and Boeing planes.

  8. ron Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 12:58 pm

    Seems like plane and plain theft to me

  9. Substitute Steve Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 1:09 pm

    Does it have to do with this?
    https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/tg1322

    And

    https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1098

  10. Jerry Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 2:06 pm

    Argentina is a major non-NATO ally… they’re going to support our sanctions almost blindly. This is a smart early move by the new administration. The aircraft owners should have known that before they decided to fly it to Buenos Aires.

  11. Andys Reply
    February 13, 2024 at 5:06 pm

    I love how the us gets to make all the rules and never bothers to follow them.

    I pray Russia and/or China wins.

  12. dee Reply
    February 14, 2024 at 11:15 pm

    Where did it land in Florida???

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