DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Airports in Britain, Germany, and the UAE have refused to refuel Iranian passenger jets, officials in Tehran said.
The refusal, which has not been verified, comes after the United States last week unilaterally imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, the ISNA (Iranian Students News Agency) reported.
According to Dow Jones (DJ), late last week BP sent faxes to some of its refueling operations in Europe instructing them to stop refueling Iranian airliners. One source told DJ, “It’s due to a decision from the U.S. Congress.”
The sanctions are designed to apply pressure on Tehran to halt what Western countries believe to be a nuclear weapons program.
“Since last week, our planes have been refused fuel at airports in Britain, Germany, and UAE because of the sanctions imposed by America,” Mehdi Aliyari, secretary of the Iranian Airlines Union, told ISNA.
“Refusing to provide fuel to Iranian passenger planes by these countries is violation of international conventions.”
Iranian politician Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh told ISNA that Iran would retaliate.
“Iran will do the same to ships and planes of those countries that cause problems for us,” he was quoted as saying.
The United Arab Emirates, a close trading partner with Iran for decades, stands to be worst hit by the retaliation from Tehran.
However, a spokeswoman for Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said that there was no ban on refueling Iranian jets.
“We have contracts with Iranian passenger flights and continue to allow refueling,” she told Reuters.
ADAC maintains airports in Abu Dhabi—the capital of the seven-state UAE—as well as the city of Al Ain.
Last week President Barack Obama signed the United States’ toughest-ever sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The sanctions, on top of recent European and United Nations sanctions, are designed to pressure Tehran into abandoning its nuclear program, which Western leaders believe to be an attempt to develop a nuclear weapon.
Under the new U.S. measures, any company providing fuel to the Islamic Republic would be penalized.
“With these sanctions—along with others—we are striking at the heart of the Iranian government’s ability to fund and develop its nuclear programs,” Obama said last Thursday.
“There should be no doubt: the United States and the international community are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
At the beginning of June, the U.N. Security Council approved sanctions on Iran that would target interests owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The measures were followed by unilateral sanctions imposed by Europe and by the United States last week.
Lawmaker Kazem Jalali told English-language Iran News that the country could lodge a complaint to the Civil Aviation Organization over the alleged action of the airports.
“A special committee has been set up in the Iranian majlis (parliament) to study the U.S. sanctions on jet fuel,” Jalali told the paper.
“The U.S. president has done his best to isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran but to no avail,” he said.
According to Dow Jones (DJ), late last week BP sent faxes to some of its refueling operations in Europe instructing them to stop refueling Iranian airliners. One source told DJ, “It’s due to a decision from the U.S. Congress.”
The sanctions are designed to apply pressure on Tehran to halt what Western countries believe to be a nuclear weapons program.
“Since last week, our planes have been refused fuel at airports in Britain, Germany, and UAE because of the sanctions imposed by America,” Mehdi Aliyari, secretary of the Iranian Airlines Union, told ISNA.
“Refusing to provide fuel to Iranian passenger planes by these countries is violation of international conventions.”
Iranian politician Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh told ISNA that Iran would retaliate.
“Iran will do the same to ships and planes of those countries that cause problems for us,” he was quoted as saying.
The United Arab Emirates, a close trading partner with Iran for decades, stands to be worst hit by the retaliation from Tehran.
However, a spokeswoman for Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said that there was no ban on refueling Iranian jets.
“We have contracts with Iranian passenger flights and continue to allow refueling,” she told Reuters.
ADAC maintains airports in Abu Dhabi—the capital of the seven-state UAE—as well as the city of Al Ain.
Last week President Barack Obama signed the United States’ toughest-ever sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The sanctions, on top of recent European and United Nations sanctions, are designed to pressure Tehran into abandoning its nuclear program, which Western leaders believe to be an attempt to develop a nuclear weapon.
Under the new U.S. measures, any company providing fuel to the Islamic Republic would be penalized.
“With these sanctions—along with others—we are striking at the heart of the Iranian government’s ability to fund and develop its nuclear programs,” Obama said last Thursday.
“There should be no doubt: the United States and the international community are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
At the beginning of June, the U.N. Security Council approved sanctions on Iran that would target interests owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The measures were followed by unilateral sanctions imposed by Europe and by the United States last week.
Lawmaker Kazem Jalali told English-language Iran News that the country could lodge a complaint to the Civil Aviation Organization over the alleged action of the airports.
“A special committee has been set up in the Iranian majlis (parliament) to study the U.S. sanctions on jet fuel,” Jalali told the paper.
“The U.S. president has done his best to isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran but to no avail,” he said.
