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Treasury Chief Says US Reviewing Iran's Aircraft Licenses


 A pilot waves from the flight deck of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 as it rolls out for the airplane's first flight, April 13, 2017, in Renton, Washington.
A pilot waves from the flight deck of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 as it rolls out for the airplane's first flight, April 13, 2017, in Renton, Washington.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday that his department is reviewing licenses for Boeing Co and Airbus to sell aircraft to Iran, telling lawmakers he will increase sanctions pressure on Iran, Syria and North Korea.

“We will use everything within our power to put additional sanctions on Iran, Syria and North Korea to protect American lives,” Mnuchin said in testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee. “I can assure you that's a big focus of mine and I discuss it with the president.”

He did not elaborate on the review of the aircraft licenses, which are tied to Iran's compliance with a 2015 agreement with world powers to freeze its nuclear weapons development.

IranAir has agreed to buy a total of 200 U.S. and European passenger aircraft worth a total of $35 billion — $37 billion at list prices, though such deals typically include big discounts.

They include 80 passenger jets from Boeing, 100 from its European rival Airbus and 20 turboprop planes from Franco-Italian supplier ATR. All of the aircraft need U.S. export licenses.

An Airbus A340 stands at Berlin Tegel airport in Berlin, March 13, 2017. and waits for German chancellor Angela Merkel and her delegation for their flight to the U.S.
An Airbus A340 stands at Berlin Tegel airport in Berlin, March 13, 2017. and waits for German chancellor Angela Merkel and her delegation for their flight to the U.S.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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