President Trump’s administration has yet to sanction Russian entities that work with Iran’s top weapons trafficker, which drew criticism from a top Republican lawmaker on Thursday.
“This is low-hanging fruit,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce told administration officials during a Thursday hearing.
Royce, a California Republican, said he “can’t understand why” Trump hasn’t moved to blacklist Russian entities that work with Mahan Air, an airline that has been sanctioned for transporting weaponry on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp Quds Force. The airline added routes to Russia as the two countries enhanced their cooperation in recent years, while the United States has tried to lead an international crackdown on Iran due to the regime’s regional aggression.
“This sanctioned Iranian airline reportedly transports weapons and personnel to Syria, and still maintains routes with St. Petersburg and Moscow,” he said in his opening statement. “We should be examining and designating the Russian individuals and companies that support Mahan with maintenance, ticketing services, cargo sales and more.”
Mahan Air is priority for the administration, a Treasury Department official concurred.
“When they want to move weaponry, money, foreign fighters – Mahan Air is by and large the airline they select for these operations,” Assistant Secretary Marshall Billingslea told Royce. “We have begun designating companies that foolishly remain intertwined with Mahan air. We did so in the case of Malaysia; other actions are imminent … this is a matter we very much see eye to eye on and we will continue to target.”
Royce pledged to monitor sanctions enforcement and put additional pressure on the administration if he deems it necessary.
“Our goal here is to leverage America’s economic might to peacefully end urgent threats to our national security,” he said. “If we’re going to succeed, the administration needs to fully utilize the tools Congress has provided.”
