Terror Airlines? Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps runs country's largest airline, report says
An Iranian opposition group claims that Iran’s biggest airline — Mahan Air — is run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Qods Force. (REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi, File)
A new report released by an Iranian opposition group claims that Iran’s biggest airline — Mahan Air — is run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Qods Force. This force is commanded by notorious Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
The new report published by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) states that the so-called private airline, Iran’s largest commercial airliner, is anything but commercial, and in fact works as a tool for Iran’s expansionist policies. President Donald Trump sanctioned the IRGC last month for supporting terrorism.
The report titled, “An IRGC Qods Force entity operating under the guise of a private company,” stated that one of the most significant findings “was that Mahan Air Corporation does not merely cooperate with the IRGC and the Qods Force, but is wholly owned and controlled by them.” This is the same Qods Force which was sanctioned by the U.S. for providing material support to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations in 2007.
The report describes the critical role that Mahan Air plays, along with other Iranian carriers, in “Iran’s interference in the countries of the region, including the transfer of personnel and logistics for the IRGC and proxy militias.”
According to the report, as of 2017, Mahan Air includes 62 airliners and flies commercially to 41 destinations in 24 countries on three continents. Major destinations include Paris, Milan and Munich in Europe, and others in Asia and Africa, where front companies have been created to bypass sanctions.
The report also describes the complex relationship between Soleimani, the Qods Force commander, and some senior commanders of IRGC who fought under him during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. These parties operated in the same region in Iran — Kerman, the place where Mahan Air was first registered. Curiously, all those mentioned in the report now hold senior positions at Mahan Air while still being members of the
