Five Boeing 777s Secretly Delivered to Iran – Learn How They Bypassed Sanctions

Published on July 22, 2025

Flouting international sanctions, Iran has quietly acquired five Boeing 777-200ER airliners and already has taken possession of these and other of its recently acquired aircraft to bypass restrictions on the use of American-made parts, FlightGlobal said. These planes, previously in the fleet of Singapore Airlines, were refitted and surreptitiously flown into Iranian airspace — a tactic Iran has kept pivoting to in the search for ways to evade a series of crippling global sanctions. Mahah Air, which has ties to the government of Iran, is building up its fleet with these latest additions — leading to questions of how the country manages to outsmart international scrutiny.

Covert Operations: Flying Five Boeing 777s to Iran

In a stunning example of breaking sanctions, Iran has secretly taken in five ex-Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. The planes were part of the fleet of Singapore Airlines, which operated them from 2001 to 2018 before transferring them to a Thai airline, L.C.NokScoot. But the jets had been placed in storage for several years after NokScoot’s collapse before they were pressed into service again in May 2023, when they were transferred to Iran via opaque and untrackable routes.

They are understood to be destined for Iran’s Mahan Air, which is still under US sanctions. What is so unusual about this delivery is that it was conducted secretly, cutting the corners of the highly restrictive sanction that bans Iran from buying planes that are equipped with a significant number of American-made parts.

A Familiar Tactic: Off-the-Radar Flights

The transfer of these Boeing jets is part of a long pattern. The planes were stored at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport in the Cambodia for several weeks, from July 4 to July 15. And when one of the planes, with the tail number 5R-HER, eventually took off to fly to Iran, it did so under the radar, both figuratively and literally. The plane, the ADS-B transponder of which was intentionally switched off while flying over Afghanistan, and thus for a segment of its flight, became untraceable.

This conscious effort to avoid detection isn’t a new thing. In previous secret transfers, for example, the planes have flown along the same trajectory — going off radar and then coming back into view as they crossed into Iranian airspace. Such a maneuver has been part of Iran’s strategy to obtain Western-built aircraft, even in the face of severe international sanctions.

A Long History of Secret Aircraft Deals for Iran

This most recent move is not an aberration. Over recent years, Iran has repeatedly found ways to avoid international restrictions to retain and expand its aging fleet. For instance, in April 2023, two Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-200s were flown by satellite navigation from Oman to Tehran without any tracking signals being activated. In the same way in May 2023 two Airbus A340-200 were handed over from Indonesia to Iran where they entered on a fake registration in Mali and arrived in Iran. The planes, previously belonging to the French Air and Space Force, are now thought to be under the control of Meraj Air, a further Iranian airline that is connected to the state.

And most recently, in 2024, Iran reportedly smuggled 2 A340s in from Lithuania, having been re-registered and diverted off course on its way to the Philippines to subsequently land in Tehran. These maneuvers come after a series of efforts to outwit international scrutiny and keep alive a fleet with which to serve Iran’s interests.

Sanctions and Their Impact on Iran’s Aviation Fleet

The accumulative sanctions have purposefully cut off Western-built aircraft from entering the country. Iran is not allowed to buy planes with more than 10% US-made parts but this applies not only to Boeing planes but also to Airbus models. Iran’s commercial fleet is one of the oldest in the world, and many of its planes have been grounded because of a lack of spare parts and maintenance support. And by some estimates fewer than 200 of Iran’s roughly 330 registered aircraft are currently operational.

The signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2016, however, temporarily opened up an opportunity for Iran to upgrade its fleet. Iran placed multibillion-dollar orders with Boeing, Airbus, and ATR during that time. But when the US reintroduced sanctions in 2018, the value of these deals became nil, and Iran was back on indirect channels for commercial aircraft.

The Outlook for Aviation in Iran

Even as Iran wrestles with the burden of crippling sanctions, it is finding ways to upgrade its fleet. Through methods like re-registrations, opaque ownership structures and off-the-radar ferry flights, the country has been able to evade international sanctions and obtain commercial aircraft. Obviously, it allows Iran to keep its air fleet in service and active, but it also puts a big dent in the concept of international authorities’ capabilities to enforce sanctions.

For the time being at least, Iran’s aviation sector appears likely to remain under the radar, with further aircraft transfers set to take place as the country attempts to shore up its roster of planes. Although international efforts have tried to isolate the country’s air sector, the ongoing utilization of these covert operations demonstrates how persistent and defiant Iran remains in defying the limitations imposed upon it.

What Does This Mean for International Sanctions?

The repeated evasion of such sanctions by Iran’s aviation industry reflects the difficulties that international enforcement authorities confront. The fact that these planes can be brought back to life, and then flown to Iran with minimal to no interference from international authorities is concerning with regard to the soundness of the aviation sanctions regime.

As Iran deepens its ties with willing countries and nonstate actors, the dark money flows are likely here to stay — at least one of the underhanded fuel transfer is serving a dual purpose, in other ways, of the country’s aviation strategy. The question is still to be answered: how will the world react to this continuing mockery?