A joint Chinese-Singaporean airline was sanctioned recently based on intelligence reports that company cargo aircraft were used to ship missile components to Iran.
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Great Wall Airlines
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A U.S. official said sanctions are part of a major tightening of financial controls by the Bush administration aimed at preventing the transfer of dangerous weapons to rogue states.
The Treasury Department sanctioned the Shanghai-based Great Wall Airlines Co. after the reported missile-related transfers.
The action is part of the Bush administration’s efforts to curb supplies of missile-related goods, equipment and technology to Iran.
The new cargo carrier was started in June but was forced to shut down operations last month because of the sanctions. It was a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and the state-run China Great Wall Industry Corp., which the U.S. government has for years identified as a key proliferator of missile and weapons of mass destruction.
No details of the missile goods were disclosed but officials said that they involved components for missiles and products that could be used for both civilian and military purposes.
The company has two Boeing 747 jetliners configured for cargo shipments.
The U.S. government said the action was aimed at punishing “an entity that has provided support to proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).”
The sanctions prevent the Boeing Company from providing parts and services.
The company was providing cargo service to Amsterdam, Singapore and the Indian cities of Chennai and Mumbai.
