Iraqi airline fires back at OFAC over lack of evidence for sanctions
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The airline's director expressed dismay over the imposition of sanctions by the US Treasury without valid proof, condemning the move as a "great injustice."
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Passengers prepare to travel at the Baghdad Airport, in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, July, 23, 2020 (AP)
Budget-friendly Iraqi-based airline Fly Baghdad on Tuesday condemned the imposition of sanctions by Washington, stating that the US Treasury failed to provide any evidence supporting its claim that the airline had aided IRGC.
On Monday, the US announced sanctions against Fly Baghdad and its CEO, Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani, alleging their involvement in "providing assistance to the Quds Force," the foreign operations arm of the IRGC. The accusations include the delivery of material and personnel throughout the region, including weapons.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the company responded to the US sanctions, asserting that the decision by the US was "based on misleading and unreal information that cannot stand up to the law.
Fly Baghdad has called on the US Treasury to furnish evidence that could "convict the company or its management".
Read more: US imposes new sanctions on 'Kataib Hezbollah, IRGC Quds Force, Hamas'
Namir al-Qaissi, the director of aviation security at Fly Baghdad, condemned the sanctions as a "great injustice."
"Dialogue and discussions continue between the CEO of Fly Baghdad and the Civil Aviation Authority, the transport ministry and the prime minister's office in order to resolve the issue", he told AFP on Tuesday.
The budget airline which provides flights to Aleppo, Beirut, Damascus, Dubai, Istanbul, Mumbai, and Tehran, affirmed that its services are "continuing as usual and have not been suspended."
Qaissi mentioned that following Washington's announcement on Monday, "two flights were delayed," and recommended that travelers "contact customer service before going to the airport."
Nevertheless, videos circulating on social media, whose authenticity AFP could not independently verify, claimed to depict passengers at Baghdad airport expressing their frustration over a purported flight cancellation.
Under US sanctions, the assets of individuals designated by the Treasury are frozen, and any property in the US must be reported. Financial institutions and other entities face restrictions in their transactions with sanctioned individuals or entities.
Read more: Islamic Resistance in Iraq targets the port of 'Ashdod' with drones
On Monday, the Treasury also declared the imposition of new sanctions against "three leaders and supporters" of Kataeb Hezbollah.
The Treasury accused Kataeb Hezbollah of having "used Fly Baghdad flights on multiple occasions to transport bags of US currency and US-made weapons... from Iraq to Lebanon".
The Treasury also accused the airlines of having transferred "hundreds of Iraqi fighters" associated with resistance groups to lead attacks on "Israel."
"Can we ignore all the laws to this extent to put weapons on our planes?," Qaissi said. "In any country, how can a plane with weapons land and take off without the state knowing?"
The implementation of US sanctions follows a series of attacks on US occupation troops in Iraq and Syria since the October 7 events, leading to a full-scale genocide on Gaza led by "Israel".
More than 140 attacks targeting the US and other troops in Iraq and Syria have been documented since mid-October.
