Washington pinpoints Iranian planes ferrying arms to Assad

117 aircraft bring weapons to Syria under the guise of humanitarian aid shipments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has identified 117 Iranian aircraft it says are ferrying weapons to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.

The Treasury Department says the planes operated by Iran Air, Mahan Air and Yas Air are delivering weapons and Iranian forces under the cover of “humanitarian” shipments.

The airlines are already subject to US sanctions: Americans cannot do business with them and any assets they have in the US are frozen.

But it is now listing planes individually, partly to pressure Iraq to crack down on Iranian weapons shipments to Syria via Iraqi airspace.

Washington also set sanctions Wednesday on a Syrian army bureau, the director of a Syrian military research center and a Belarusian arms exporter for their roles in weapons of mass destruction proliferation.