Iranian airline, Mahan Air, has applied for a Scheduled Foreign Operators Permit for a twice-weekly service between Tehran and Johannesburg.

Media Liaison Officer of the South African Department of Transport, Motlatsi Lebea, says the application is still in process as the DOT awaits outstanding documents from Mahan Air.

Mahan Air is a private airline, first established in 1992, and currently flies to destinations in the Middle East, Far East, Central Asia and Europe. According to the US Department of the Treasury, Mahan Air is currently on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons. The airline was placed on the list in October 2011 for providing financial, material and technological support to the IRGC-Qods Force. The IRGC-Qods Force was previously designated on October 25 for its support of numerous terrorist groups. 

Meanwhile, international sanctions on Iran were lifted earlier this year and during a two-day visit in April, President Jacob Zuma and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed to increase non-oil trade and investment between South Africa and Iran to a billion dollars by 2020.

The two countries signed eight bilateral trade agreements in the fields of trade and industry, energy, mining, agriculture, water resources, and co-operation in intelligence gathering and anti-money-laundering initiatives, and developed an accompanying roadmap for strengthening economic co-operation.