04 April, 2017
American airplane maker Boeing says it has reached a deal to sell 30 aircraft to an Iranian airline.
The $3 billion sale of passenger aircraft is the second deal the American aerospace company has reached with an Iranian airline.
Boeing announced the latest deal with Aseman Airlines on Tuesday.
Last December, Iran Air agreed to buy 80 Boeing passenger planes in a deal worth $16.6 billion.
The deals were made possible by an agreement signed by Iran and six world powers including the U.S. The deal limited Iran's uranium enrichment activities in an effort to keep the country from developing nuclear weapons. In exchange, many trade and financial sanctions on Iran were lifted.
In a statement, Boeing says the deal is expected to create or sustain 18,000 jobs. Boeing would look to the Office of Foreign Assets Control for approval of the sale. The office is part of the United States Treasury Department.
During the campaign for president, United States President Donald Trump was strongly critical of the Iran deal. But Trump has also said creating jobs is a main concern for his administration.
If the deal is approved, Aseman Airlines is expected to start receiving the airplanes in 2022 according to Boeing.
I'm Mario Ritter.
Joshua Fatzick reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
airline –n. a company that owns or leases airplanes to transport people or cargo
aerospace –adj. related to the industry of traveling in and above Earth's atmosphere
sanction –n. an action that is meant to force a country to obey international law usually by limiting or stopping trade and economic activity with that country