July 20, 2022, 4:16 PM
July 20, 2022, 4:16 PM
The Iranian Foreign Minister said on Wednesday that he had asked the Argentine diplomatic representative for the “immediate” suspension of the ban on leaving Iran’s territory. five Iranians from the crew of a plane held in Argentina for a month and a half.
The Boeing 747 cargo plane of the Venezuelan company Emstrasur (which in the past belonged to the Iranian company Mahan Air) has been immobilized at the Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires since its arrival on June 8 from Mexico, after having tried unsuccessfully to enter In uruguay.
His crew, five Iranians and 14 Venezuelans, were prohibited from leaving Argentina while the justice system investigates a possible link with the Guardians of the Revolution, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister, expressed to the Argentine diplomatic representative “the deep concern of the Iranian government and the families of the Iranian crew for the retention of their travel documents and the restriction to leave the country, which constitutes a violation of human rights,” he said in a statement.
“Iran calls on the government of Argentina to fulfill its duties and responsibilities by ending the restrictions and facilitating the immediate departure of the five Iranian crew members,” the text explains.
The plane was bought by Conviasa, a Venezuelan company sanctioned by the United States, a year ago from Iran’s Mahan Air, according to Iranian officials.
His destination was Uruguay, where he was denied entry.
The United States links Mahan Air with the Guardians of the Revolution, considered a terrorist organization by Washington.
“The status of the Venezuelan plane and of Iranian crew members is completely legal under international law and aviation conventions, so there is no place to investigate Iranian citizens,” the Iranian foreign minister added.
