Remember Emtrasur’s Boeing 747, registration YV3531, stuck in Buenos Aires since June 6? The aircraft is still there, and the political controversy surrounding it has only gotten bigger. The Argentinian president has spoken about it, and the US and Israel governments are following the developments closely. What’s the latest regarding this aircraft? Let’s find out.

Still stuck

Emtrasur’s Boeing 747-300 landed in Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), Buenos Aires, on June 6, after departing from Mexico, making a stopover in Venezuela and an unscheduled diversion to Córdoba, Argentina.

The cargo aircraft reportedly carried car parts and has been held at Ezeiza since that day. The crew briefly attempted to fly to Montevideo, Uruguay, but the local authorities denied them entrance, and they had to return to Buenos Aires. They have been grounded there ever since.

The controversy surrounding Emtrasur’s flight has not disappeared. Onboard the flight were 19 cabin crew members, 14 Venezuelan citizens, and five Iranian citizens. This large number of crew members and the fact that five of them were from Iran raised the alarms in Argentina.

Some politicians, members of the opposition to the current Argentine government, said the arrival of Emtrasur’s Boeing 747 and its links to Iran and possibly the Quds Force were anomalous and suspicious.

According to Paraguay’s intelligence chief, one man aboard Emtrasur’s plane had ties to Iran’s Quds Force. Captain Gholamreza Ghasemy did not merely share a name with a member of the Quds Force but is, in fact, the same man, Paraguay’s intelligence chief Esteban Aquino told AFP.

Nonetheless, the Argentine authorities quickly dismissed any possible terrorist link, reviewed the cargo, and released the crew (although it is unable to leave the country, according to the newspaper El Clarín). Despite that, the aircraft is still grounded in Buenos Aires, and Emtrasur’s crew, both the Venezuelan and Iranian citizens, have not left the country. Why is that?

View of the Boeing 747-300 registrered number YV3531 of Venezuelan Emtrasur cargo airline at the international airport in Cordoba, Argentina
This Emtrasur Boeing 747-300M has been grounded in Argentina since June 8. Photo: Getty Images.

The aircraft

Emtrasur’s aircraft is a Boeing 747-300M, registration YV3531, which first flight was back in 1986. Emtrasur (Conviasa’s cargo branch) acquired the aircraft from Iran’s Mahan Air last year and received it in January.

It is the first of possibly three Boeing 747s that Emtrasur will acquire from Mahan Air. The cargo airline had been using its ‘Queen of the Skies’ in flights to countries such as Mexico, Serbia, Russia, Aruba, Belarus, and Paraguay, according to data by FlightRadar24.com.

Its ties to Iran and Venezuela are why this aircraft has not been able to leave Argentina since June 8. Not a single company wants to provide it with fuel or assistance, as they fear they could face sanctions from the US government due to its links to Mahan Air.

According to the US Department of Treasury, Mahan Air is "a tool to spread (Iran’s) destabilizing agenda around the world, including to the corrupt regimes in Syria and Venezuela, as well as terrorist groups throughout the Middle East.”

Emtrasur's Boeing 747 parked.

The drama surrounding Emtrasur’s Boeing 747 continues as the United States and Israel get involved. Photo: Venezuela's Embassy in Belarus.

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Argentina, the US, Israel, and Iran have spoken

This geopolitical incident has only gotten bigger as the days go by. In Argentina, politicians are urging the government to seek help from the FBI. The president, Alberto Fernández, has been trying to cool down the story, claiming it was an attempt from the political opposition to create a scandal out of nowhere.

Nonetheless, according to El Clarín, the aircraft has been seized by local authorities and will be reviewed one more time. Additionally, a judge prohibited the crew members from leaving Argentina.

Marc R. Stanley, US Ambassador in Argentina, said that the US government is closely following the police investigation of the crew and plane. “We appreciate the investigative efforts of the Argentine authorities to clarify the situation,” he added.

Israel, through its embassy in Buenos Aires, expressed concern regarding "the activity of the Iranian airline Mahan Air in Latin America, a company engaged in arms trafficking and the transfer of people and equipment operating for the Quds Force, which is sanctioned by the United States for being involved in terrorist activities."

Finally, Iran said Monday that the detention of the Boeing 747 is part of a "propaganda operation" against Tehran. Speaking at his weekly press conference in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh linked the case to the current high tension between Iran and Western countries over nuclear issues.

"The last few weeks are full of propaganda, psychological operations, and a war of words to provoke a feeling of insecurity (in Iran), and this case is part of it," he said.

What do you make of this whole geopolitical incident? Let us know your comments below.

Sources: El Clarín, AFP, AP, FlightRadar24.com.