Venezuela - Cargo plane grounded in Argentina over Iran ties
The grounding of a Venezuelan-operated Boeing cargo jet in Argentina points to the continuing durability of Iran-Venezuela relations.
On June 6, Argentine authorities grounded a Venezuelan cargo plane operated by Emtrasur, the logistics subsidiary of Venezuelan flag carrier Conviasa that was established in November 2020. Two weeks later, the plane is still grounded, regional intelligence officials appear convinced that at least one crew member is part of Iran’s Quds force, other strange patterns of flights have emerged, and Venezuela is protesting the treatment of its plane but providing no realistic explanations for the strange behavior of its flights.
The Boeing 747 with the tail number YV3531 flew from Querétaro, Mexico with stopovers in Caracas in Venezuela and Córdoba in Argentina before arriving at Ezeiza International Airport. Notably, the Emtrasur did not have permits to operate in Mexico, but was able to fly in and out of the country without problems.
The aircraft attracted scrutiny in Argentina due to unusually large crew (14 Venezuelans and 5 Iranians) on board the aircraft as well as the plane’s ties to Iran. Venezuela bought the plane last year from Iranian airline Mahan Air, which is sanctioned by the United States for providing logistical support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The plane had made recent flights to Paraguay, Belarus, Tehran and Moscow, and it also completed flights to Guangzhou, China earlier this year.
Questions remain about the nature of the flight and possible sanctions evasion activity that the Venezuelan and Iranian nationals aboard the plane were coordinating. Argentina’s intelligence head Augustín Rossi confirmed that the plane arrived in Argentina carrying auto parts that it loaded in Mexico. While there is an extensive auto parts trade between Mexico and Argentina, there is no good reason a Venezuelan cargo plane with Iranian crew would be making the deliveries. That is one reason some officials believe it’s possible that the grounded plane was carrying dual-use mechanical parts that could have both civilian and military applications.
There has been disagreement among intelligence officials in the region about the risks posed by the Iranian crew members. Security Minister Aníbal Fernández commented that Argentine officials received intelligence that members of the plane’s crew, specifically the plane captain Gholamreza Ghasemi, had connections to the Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. However, Argentina officials later said that the name of the captain is simply similar to the name of a Quds leader and it is not the same person. Paraguayan officials have directly contradicted Argentine officials and have repeatedly claimed that the Iranian crew members had ties to the Quds.
Crewmembers told Argentine authorities that they were conducting a training to facilitate the equipment transfer from Mahan Air to Emtrasur. Argentine authorities seem to support this explanation, and officials say they have not uncovered any incriminating evidence since seizing the plane.
Even if this was just a training flight (and the evidence for that claim is murky), this incident illustrates the continued strength of the Venezuela-Iran relationship. Iranian-Venezuelan cooperation has exposed the limits of U.S. sanctions policy as pressure from the U.S. and its allies pushed sanctioned countries to share information and tools with each other for how to evade sanctions.
Material logistical support and knowledge-sharing between the Iranian and Venezuelan government supports the durability of both regimes and their ability to withstand pressure from the United States. Iran has sold several aircraft to Venezuela recently, and another Venezuelan plane was grounded in Bolivia last week for its ties to Iran. An Airbus plane recently sold to Conviasa by Mahan Air was denied entry to Argentina from Bolivia on June 15. The Airbus plane returned to Caracas rather than continuing its path to Buenos Aires. Aside from aircraft, Iran recently delivered an oil tanker to Venezuela, and Iran’s SADRA shipyard plans to deliver two more vessels through 2024.
The flight drama coincidentally overlapped with a visit Nicolás Maduro took to Tehran where he met with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi and signed a 20-year cooperation agreement. The two officials confirmed that direct flights between Tehran and Caracas will begin on July 18.