TEHRAN— Iran’s High Council for Human Rights has condemned Washington’s latest sanctions targeting the country’s aviation sector, warning that restrictions on access to aircraft parts, equipment, and technical services could have consequences that extend beyond trade and directly affect flight safety and human life.
In a statement issued on Monday, the council said the United States’ September 8 sanctions, which targeted individuals, companies and networks linked to Iran’s aviation industry, were particularly concerning because they also seek to pressure foreign companies and intermediaries involved in supplying aircraft, technology and aviation services to Iran.
The US Treasury said on September 8 that it had sanctioned 36 targets under its “Operation Economic Outcast,” including 27 Iranian airlines, accusing them of supporting activities involving weapons, personnel and illicit cargo. Washington also targeted foreign intermediaries and procurement networks connected to Iran’s aviation sector.
The Iranian council argued that civil aviation is fundamentally a safety-critical sector rather than merely a commercial activity. It said safe flight operations depend on reliable access to spare parts, engines, navigation and communications equipment, maintenance and repair services, inspections and other specialized technical support.
The statement invoked the 1944 Chicago Convention and its emphasis on the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation, arguing that restrictions affecting a country’s ability to obtain safety-related equipment and services should be considered within the framework of international aviation obligations.
Iran also pointed to a precedent before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In its October 3, 2018, order in the case brought by Iran against the United States, the Court identified spare parts, equipment and associated services necessary for the safety of civil aviation as goods and services linked to rights claimed by Iran under the 1955 Treaty of Amity.
The ICJ further stated that US measures had the potential to endanger civil aviation safety in Iran and the lives of its users insofar as they prevented Iranian airlines from obtaining necessary spare parts, equipment and related services, including maintenance, repair and safety inspections.
The Court ordered the United States to remove impediments to the export of such goods and services to Iran as part of its provisional measures.
The High Council for Human Rights said this history demonstrates that the relationship between sanctions and aviation safety has previously been examined at the international legal level.
It stressed that political and economic disputes should not undermine aviation safety or increase risks to passengers and crews, arguing that the humanitarian consequences of sanctions affecting safety-critical sectors should be taken into account alongside their stated economic and political objectives.
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