DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Airbus announced Wednesday that the U.S. government has granted it a license to sell the first 17 airplanes involved in a landmark deal with Iran made possible by last year’s nuclear agreement.
The announcement comes as Iranian leaders and U.S. officials are gathered this week in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and serves as a sign that the outgoing administration of President Barack Obama will honor the economic terms of the accord.
Airbus received the license from the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon told The Associated Press. He said the first 17 planes will be A320s and A330s. He declined to offer a breakdown of how many of each are involved in the initial sale, but said Airbus hoped to receive a second license allowing it to sell the remaining planes to Iran.
Though based in Europe, Airbus was required to get the U.S. Treasury’s approval for the deal as at least 10 percent of Airbus components are of American origin.
Iran’s U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the country’s state media did not immediately report the approval. On Sunday, Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, a deputy transportation minister, told reporters that he expected U.S. permission for all aircraft purchases “by the end of September” and that several airplanes would arrive by mid-March.