[IsraelTimes] Agreement between Aseman Airlines and US aerospace giant could be scuppered by Trump if he reimposes sanctions on Tehran.The deal, announced in April, was signed at a ceremony in Tehran and the first 30 planes are due for delivery between 2022 and 2024.
The White House is in the midst of a 90-day review to decide if it will stick by the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, in which Tehran agreed curb on its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions.
Washington must renew sanctions waivers every few months to keep the deal alive, and another set of renewals is due in the coming days.
Even if Trump sticks by the nuclear deal, the Boeing sale must be cleared by the US Office of Foreign Assets (OFAC).
He said Aseman would pay five percent of the contract in cash, with the remainder paid through a financing deal organised by Boeing.
Boeing, which is also building 80 planes for national carrier Iran Air, faces heavy criticism from US politicians who say Iranian airlines have been used to ship weapons and troops to Syria and other conflict zones.
The aerospace giant has therefore emphasized the employment potential of the deals, saying in April that the Aseman contract "creates or sustains approximately 18,000 jobs in the United States."
Iran has been desperate to renew its ageing fleet of planes, but was largely blocked from dealing with major aircraft manufacturers until the 2015 nuclear accord.
The US has maintained its own sanctions, which block almost all trade with Iran, but plane manufacturers were given a specific exemption under the nuclear deal.
OFAC approved the sale of the 80 Boeing as well as 100 Airbus planes to Iran Air. The first few Airbus jets have already arrived in Tehran.
Aseman currently has a fleet of 36 planes -- half of them the 105-seat Dutch Fokker 100s.
Its three Boeing 727-200s are almost as old as the Islamic revolution, having made their first flight in 1980.