Why do Iran's conservatives oppose deals with Boeing, Hyundai?
Iranian conservatives denounce the billion-dollar deals with Boeing and South Korea’s Hyundai to modernize Iran’s air and shipping fleets after years of sanctions.
Iran’s national carrier Iran Air and US aircraft manufacturer Boeing signed a $16.6 billion deal for the sale of 80 passenger jets Dec. 11, despite strong opposition from the US House of Representatives. However, right-wing Americans have not been the only opponents of the deal; conservative Iranians have also voiced their objections against buying aircraft from the United States.
The deal was made possible by a Sept. 21 authorization from the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The two companies' agreements are a result of the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. With the goal of renewing its aging fleet, Iran will import Boeing airplanes, including 50 narrow-body 737 MAX aircraft and 30 long-haul 777s. Boeing said that deliveries will begin in 2018.
While Reformist outlets in Iran hailed the agreement to purchase a fleet of passenger jets from the United States, conservative media denounced the deal. On Dec. 12, Iranian media supporting President Hassan Rouhani celebrated the agreement on their front pages with headlines such as “Boeing’s historical landing in Iran,” “Spell on Iran-US economic relations removed,” “Flight of Boeing over wall of sanctions” and “Boeing in Tehran hangar.”
Meanwhile, Sobh-e No, a daily close to the Principlists, highlighted a Boeing statement that stressed the deal “will support tens of thousands of US jobs directly associated with production and delivery of the 777-300ERs and nearly 100,000 US jobs in the US.” Sobh-e No covered the agreement under the headline “A deal to create 100,000 jobs in US.”
