Argentinian authorities have temporarily seized the passports of five Iranian plane crew members of a cargo plane, pending a probe into possible links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), officials said Monday (June 13).
The Iranian plane has been grounded since last week.
A judge on Monday ordered the crew members’ travel documents held for an additional 72 hours after Security Minister Anibal Fernandez said information from “foreign organizations” showed some may be linked to companies with ties to the IRGC.
According to numerous reports, Mahan Air has been used to transport ammunition, weapons, and Iran-backed militia members across conflict zones in the Middle East.
Monday’s court ruling to hold the crew’s passports came after a successful bid by DAIA, the organization that represents Argentina’s Jewish community, to be listed as a plaintiff in the investigation.
Interpol has issued arrest warrants for former Iranian leaders suspected of involvement in an attack on a Jewish center in Buenos Aires in 1994 that killed 85 people and injured hundreds.
It remains the deadliest terror attack in the country.
The grounding of the cargo Iranian plane came days before Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited Tehran, where the allies, both subject to US sanctions, signed a 20-year cooperation pact.
A routine check found “things that were not logical”, Fernandez told Perfil radio.
The crew included 14 Venezuelans, who were released.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran’s Mahan Air sold the Iranian plane to a Venezuelan company last year.
The United States accuses Mahan Air of links to the IRGC, which it has blacklisted as a terrorist organization.
According to numerous reports, Mahan Air has been used to transport ammunition, weapons, and Iran-backed militia members across conflict zones in the Middle East.
Monday’s court ruling to hold the crew’s passports came after a successful bid by DAIA, the organization that represents Argentina’s Jewish community, to be listed as a plaintiff in the investigation.
Interpol has issued arrest warrants for former Iranian leaders suspected of involvement in an attack on a Jewish center in Buenos Aires in 1994 that killed 85 people and injured hundreds.
It remains the deadliest terror attack in the country.
On the anniversary of the attack in 2019, Argentina’s government also designated the Lebanese Hizbullah as a terrorist organization for its role in the attack, as well as in several other terrorist acts on its soil, and froze Hizbullah’s assets.