Argentina permits remaining Venezuela plane crew to depart

The three Iranians and two Venezuelans are part of a group of 19 crew members of a Boeing 747 cargo plane owned by Venezuelan company Emtrasur, which since it landed in Argentina has been involved in an international judicial and diplomatic saga.

The plane, sold by Iranian company Mahan Air to Venezuelan airline Emtrasur, was immobilized by Argentine officials at Ezeiza International Airport as both Venezuela and Iran, which signed a 20-year cooperation accord in June, are under draconian US sanctions.

In mid-September, the La Plata Federal Appeals Court authorized the departure of 12 out of 19 crew members of the Venezuelan Emtrasur plane, which had been held in Argentina for over three months.

In August, Federal Judge Federico Villena authorized the departure of 11 Venezuelans and one Iranian. Simultaneously, he ordered a ban on leaving the country against the other seven crew members.

Earlier on July 20, the interim charge d’affaires of the Argentine Embassy in Tehran was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry by the Head of the Second Department of the Foreign Ministry for American Affairs to convey the strong protest of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the government of Argentina following the imposition of restrictions on the exit of five Iranian nationals as crew members of a Venezuelan cargo plane in this country.

During the meeting of charge d’affaires of the Argentine Embassy in Tehran, while emphasizing the baselessness of accusations and unacceptable prolongation of the investigation process of the Argentine judge to study the status of the plane and Iranian nationals, it was announced that the status of Venezuelan plane and Iranian nationals as crew members of the plane have been completed within the framework of international laws and aviation conventions and there are no claims against Iranian nationals.

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