Iran denounces IATA ban on ticket services to Iran Air

Iran's national airline, Iran Air, criticized the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for preventing the Islamic Republic from using the system for processing international ticket payments services, the local satellite Press TV reported on Tuesday. The IATA said Monday that it has suspended Iran Air from using the system for processing international ticket payments pursuant to U.S.-imposed sanctions. The IATA's move will limit the ability of Iran Air to book passengers abroad. Director of the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran Farhad Parvaresh said Monday that the decision is a violation of international law and the IATA articles of association, said the report. The IATA is not obliged to implement U.S. laws and sanctions, and Iran Air has officially asked the organization to revoke the decision, Parvaresh was quoted as saying. "The United States, under the pretext of the sanctions, has pressured the IATA to halt services that are within our rights ... We pay membership fees to the IATA, and all its international members use its services," Parvaresh added. Western countries, including the United States and European Union, have imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its insistence to pursue its controversial nuclear program which, west believes, is aimed at developing nuclear weapons under the guise of civilian nuclear energy. Iran has denied the charges. Iran's airliner is also under the unilateral U.S.-imposed sanctions which prevented its allies from selling aircraft or aircraft parts to the country.