From Mashhad in Iran to Beirut and from Beirut to Tehran, on the 14th of November this year, the Iranian government-affiliated Meraj Airlines started operating one weekly flight to Lebanon.
In 2014, the United States imposed sanctions on Mirage Airlines for transporting weapons from Tehran to the Syrian regime.
In 2018, Washington also listed two people working for Dena Airways, affiliated with Meraj Air.
LBCI contacted the sales agent of the Iranian company in Lebanon, Muhammad Dakdouk, who denied that the company had been sanctioned or that he was aware of its sanctioning.
But according to the US Secretary of the Treasury, countries and companies worldwide must take into account the risks associated with granting landing rights and providing flight services to companies that Iran uses to export terrorism throughout the region.
In addition, the US Treasury warned that those who grant landing rights and provide public services to these Iranian airlines, including Meraj air, may be subject to Washington's sanctions.
Fadi el-Hassan, the acting director general of civil aviation at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International airport, told local news outlets that there is a need to separate American sanctions from civil aviation.
"Civil aviation is subject to international treaties under the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization. Therefore, many Gulf countries, European countries, and even Turkey allow Iranian aircraft to land normally," el-Hassan added.