The Iranian government affirmed on Monday that Argentina must allow five Iranians who were part of the crew of a Venezuelan plane held in Buenos Aires to leave its territory.
“They must be released unconditionally,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told a news conference.
“They have not committed any crime,” he remarked.
The diplomat affirmed that the Iranian embassies in Buenos Aires and Caracas continue to negotiate the departure of their five citizens, whose passports were withdrawn by the Argentine justice system and are not allowed to leave the South American country.
“Unfortunately there has been no progress,” the Iranian official said.
The five Iranians were part of the crew of a cargo Boeing 747 Dreamliner, which was owned by the Iranian company Mahan Air and now belongs to Emtrasur, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services. (Conviasa)companies that are sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury.
The aircraft entered Argentina on June 6 from Mexico, making a stopover in Venezuela, presumably to transfer cargo to an automotive company, and two days later it took off to go to Uruguay to load fuel, but landed again at the Argentine airport of the Buenos Aires town of Ezeiza because the neighboring country did not allow its landing.
The plane’s crew is made up of five Iranians and fourteen Venezuelans and Argentines.
In mid-June, an Argentine judge ordered the withholding of the passports of the Iranian crew members, who have full freedom of movement, while it is investigated whether one of them has a relationship with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard of Iran.
Argentina and Iran maintain distant relations since the attack against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires, which caused 85 deaths in 1994 and was linked to Tehran.
