US sanctions Iranian commercial airline

Updated: 2011-10-13 11:59

(Xinhua)

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WASHINGTON - The US Department of Treasury on Wednesday imposed sanctions on an Iranian commercial airline for its alleged support for Iran's elite force and the Hezbollah militant group.

The agency said that the Tehran-based Mahan Air provides transportation, funds transfers and personnel travel services to the Quds Force, an elite division of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responsible for foreign operations.

It said Mahan Air provided travel services to Quds Force's personnel flown to and from Iran and Syria for military training, facilitated the unit's arms shipments as well as covert travel of its officers into and out of Iraq by bypassing normal security procedures.

In addition, Mahan Air has transported personnel, weapons and goods for Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based designated foreign terrorist organization, the Treasury said.

A day earlier, the department listed four senior officers from the Quds Force for sanctions, alleging they were linked to an assassination attempt on the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Mahan Air's close coordination with the Quds Force "reveals yet another facet of the IRGC's extensive infiltration of Iran's commercial sector to facilitate its support for terrorism," said David Cohen, undersecretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence.

As a result of the designation, US persons are now barred from doing business with Mahan Air and its assets under US jurisdiction are frozen.