Blaming the U.S. for the Iranian plane crash
One more thought on today's tragic plane crash in Iran which left 168 people dead.
The proximate cause of the crash was probably poor aircraft maintenance, though we won't be sure until Iran's transport ministry finishes an investigation. But I think you can argue that the ultimate cause of the crash is U.S. economic sanctions.
Iran is prohibited from buying aircraft or spare parts from Boeing. It also can't buy European-made Airbus aircraft, because about 40 percent of their parts are manufactured in the U.S. So Iran is forced to buy aging Russian aircraft with questionable safety records. (This is perhaps why Aeroflot, the largest airline in Russia, flies mostly Airbus and Boeing planes?)
The result is an Iranian airline industry with a horrific safety record -- at least 60 fatal accidents since the 1979 revolution. The U.S. airline industry, which flies far more routes every year, has had about 40 during that time period, according to my unofficial count.
It is impossible to justify economic sanctions that prevent Iranian airlines from buying needed spare parts for their planes. They put millions of Iranians at risk of a deadly plane crash; they do nothing to pressure the Iranian government.
Iran's transport minister made this argument, prophetically, just a few months ago; the Iranian government raised similar complaints after a deadly crash in 2002.
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Categories: Iran, Regional News
Tags: Airbus, aviation, Boeing, economic sanctions
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