The wings of war – Iran’s commercial airlines violate international law. But still they fly to Europe. | POLITICO

The wings of war – Iran’s commercial airlines violate international law. But still they fly to Europe. | POLITICO

When Mahan Air, Iran’s largest private airline, bought nine used Airbus aircraft last May, Iranians celebrated the opportunity to upgrade their country’s aging, sanctions-hit commercial fleet. They felt corresponding disappointment, therefore, when a fortnight later, the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Treasury blacklisted all nine planes and vowed to impound them. Their frustration is understandable, but doesn’t change one basic fact:…