Iranian Regime’s Evasion of International Sanctions: The Case of the Diverted Airbus A340 Planes

The Iranian regime is finding ways to bypass international sanctions, as evidenced by the recent incident involving two Airbus A340 passenger aircraft leased by the Gambian company Macka Invest. These planes were supposed to fly from Lithuania to South Asia but ended up in Iran before reaching their intended destination.

It was reported that the pilots, who were foreign citizens, collaborated with the Iranian army to divert the planes to Iran in exchange for a large reward. The disappearance of the aircraft halfway through their journey was made possible by turning off the transporters reporting the location of the planes as they entered Iranian airspace. This allowed Mahan Air, an Iranian airline, to circumvent sanctions prohibiting the supply of aircraft and components to Iran.

This is not the first time such incidents have occurred in Iran. A year and a half ago, four Airbus A340 planes disappeared on their way from South Africa to Uzbekistan and similarly ended up in Iran. It is believed that these planes were acquired by Mahan Air through similar means. The hijacking of passenger planes for this purpose raises concerns about the ability of the ayatollah regime to evade international sanctions and acquire sophisticated aircraft for its own use.