On July 3, 2026, Saudia Airlines, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, posted a statement online denying any involvement in the alleged transfer of five Boeing 777-200ER aircraft to Iranian airline Mahan Air.
The aircraft, at least two of which have already been spotted recently at Teheran’s Mehrabad International Airport (TRH), appear to have been moved to Iran through a network of intermediaries.
Mahan Air was sanctioned by the United States, through the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), because of its alleged links to the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Saudia says aircraft were sold in 2023
In its public statement, Saudia says the aircraft, which had been part of its fleet in years past, were sold on June 7, 2023, to a company outside Saudi Arabia in compliance with all international laws and regulations. The Saudi had since not had any involvement in the fate of those aircraft since that moment.
According to reports that appeared online on June 30, 2026, the aircraft in question may have been transferred to Iran by way of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
ECT Aviation Support, a Sharjah-based aviation company that had previously held several of the former Saudia jets in the UAE, has denied any involvement in their transfer to Iran. In a public statement posted to its official account on July 6, 2026, the company said it played no part in the transfer of the aircraft.
Official Statement. pic.twitter.com/I65AEySMtK
— Ect Aviation Group (@Ectaviation2019) July 6, 2026
Iran’s use of intermediaries to source aircraft
Iran is known to have used different schemes over the last few years, using a chain of intermediaries in several different jurisdictions, in order to circumvent the international sanctions regime and secure Western-made aircraft for its ageing commercial fleet.
It has been reported that several Airbus A340 aircraft reached Iran this way in 2024 and 2022, for example.
In 2025, another five B777-200ER appeared to have made their way from South East Asia to Iranian territory after getting a temporary, reportedly forged, registration in Madagascar. The discovery of this scheme triggered a political crisis in the African country, where the Transportation Minister was sacked and police arrested 22 people in an anti-corruption probe in connection to this deal.
At least one of these was destroyed on the ground during the US-Israeli strikes at Teheran’s Mehrabad International Airport earlier in 2026. It is believed that as many as 20 commercial aircraft in Iranian hands may have been destroyed during the war, although the exact number has never been fully ascertained.
This article was updated to include a statement from ECT Aviation Support denying any involvement in the alleged transfer of the aircraft to Iran.