Netanyahu Welcomes Exit of Three Airlines from Iran Market
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel who is traveling to Lithuania, welcomed the exit of three European airlines from Iran’s market on Thursday, September 1st, and said that other companies should do the same.
Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference: “Today we were informed that three companies, British Airways, KLM, and Air France, have ended their operations in Iran. This is good news, others should do the same, they will do the same, because Iran should not be rewarded for its aggression in the region and its efforts to expand terrorism.”
Hours before Netanyahu’s remarks, British Airways and Air France announced they would cut their flights to Iran in the coming weeks, partly due to the economic unprofitability of these flights; the Dutch company KLM, which is considered part of the Air France group, had also previously announced it would halt its flights in the near future for similar reasons.
Benjamin Netanyahu said his four-day visit to the Baltic Sea region was planned with the goal of “creating balance in Israel’s relations with northeastern European governments in comparison with his government’s relations with Western European countries.”
According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu also said on Thursday before leaving Tel Aviv that he would discuss with the leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia the “necessity of coordinating with American sanctions against Iran.”
Benjamin Netanyahu also discussed coordination between Israel and America’s actions regarding Iran on Sunday and Monday of this week during a meeting with John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, who had traveled to Israel.
John Bolton also said at the end of his visit to Israel in a press conference in Jerusalem that the effects of sanctions against Iran exceed American assessments.
America formed an Iran Action Group in its State Department last week; before that, Israeli media had also reported the formation of cooperation and coordination committees between important Israeli institutions and America, with the goal of monitoring the precise implementation of sanctions against Iran.
Passenger flight sanctions are not part of America’s punitive measures in relation to Iran, neither in the first round of sanctions against Iran that began on August 6th, nor in the next round of sanctions that will take effect on November 4th.
However, the dramatic decline in the value of Iran’s currency against foreign currencies, which has intensified in recent weeks and may be considered a secondary effect of sanctions, has made foreign and even domestic flights in Iran unprofitable because many middle-class Iranians can no longer afford to buy airline tickets.
The decision of the three major European airlines to halt flights to Iran was announced at a time when three European countries involved in the JCPOA have been trying, since America’s withdrawal from the nuclear agreement on May 8th, to assure that if Iran remains committed to the JCPOA, it will continue to benefit from its advantages.
Despite the political will of the three European powers, not only have dozens of companies on this continent suspended cooperation with Iran, but the three European countries have also not yet been able to present a real practical solution to ensure the JCPOA remains implemented; something that Iran has also repeatedly complained about in recent times.
Despite the suspension of flights by these three airlines, the French news agency writes that German company “Lufthansa” and Italian company “Alitalia” continue their flights to Iran.
Source: Radio Farda
