19 Mar 2024
Wednesday 28 October 2020 - 15:39
Story Code : 385136

US-sanctioned Iranian plane lands in Venezuela -lawmaker, data

US-sanctioned Iranian plane lands in Venezuela -lawmaker, data
An Iranian plane owned by a company sanctioned by the United States for allegedly shipping weapons to Syria landed in Venezuela on Tuesday, according to an opposition Venezuelan lawmaker and flight tracking data.


The EP-FAB 747 aircraft, owned by Irans Qeshm Fars Air, landed at a time when trade ties have grown closer between the two OPEC members, whose oil industries are under increasingly strict U.S. sanctions. It was not immediately clear what the plane brought to Venezuela.


The plane landed at the Maiquetia airport serving Caracas in afternoon hours, according to a Twitter post by Jose Manuel Olivares, a lawmaker who represents the seaside state of Vargas where the airport is located.






Data on flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the aircraft descending toward Caracas around 4 p.m. local time (8 p.m. GMT) after taking off in Tehran the previous night. The plane made stops in Tunisia and Cape Verde before flying to Venezuela, the data show.


Venezuelas information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Earlier this year, more than a dozen flights from Irans Mahan Air brought materials to help repair Venezuelas refineries. Iran has also sent two flotillas of tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela, easing acute fuel shortages in the South American country.


The two countries growing ties have drawn criticism from Washington, which is seeking to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to leave power, and to thwart Irans nuclear program.


In announcing sanctions on Qeshm Fars Air and the EP-FAB in January 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department said the companys delivery of lethal materiel to Syria enables Irans military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.


 

Source: Reuters
https://theiranproject.com/vdcfmtdmvw6dcya.r7iw.html
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