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U.S. House Passes Bill to Block Boeing Aircraft Sales to Iran | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Washington-The House of Representatives has passed a measure that would block U.S. aircraft sales to Iran, potentially undercutting a Boeing deal with Tehran worth up to $25 billion.

But the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, Bahram Ghasemi, held the U.S. responsible for hindering all what contradicts the nuclear deal.

Two amendments approved to an appropriations bill from Representative Peter Roskam would ban sales from Boeing and from European rival Airbus, amid concerns the aircraft could be used for military purposes, the congressman said in a statement Friday.

One amendment would prohibit the Office of Foreign Assets Control from using funds to authorize a license necessary to allow aircraft to be sold to Iran. A second would bar loans from U.S. financial institutions to purchase militarily adaptable aircraft.

The ban would need to be approved by the Senate or any bill that reconciles differences in legislation by the two chambers.

The Washington Post quoted a White House official as saying that President Barack Obama is determined to improve relations with Iran.

The official, who refused to be identified, said that the amendments could be obstructed before becoming a law.

Agence France Presse said that the deal, valued at up to $25 billion, would be the largest between a U.S. business and Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Boeing archrival Airbus in January reached a deal to sell Iran 118 aircraft.

But the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said the measure of the House of Representatives was “incompatible” with the accord, under which Washington was to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear activities.

“We have nothing to do with U.S. internal affairs,” Ghasemi said.

“We consider the government of the United States to be responsible for implementing the country’s commitments” under the accord, he added.