Iran defends deal to buy US jets

Iranian officials defended their deal to buy dozens of American jets, amid unease about the agreement’s fate under the administration of president-elect Donald Trump. Last week, Tehran completed a deal to buy 80 jets from Boeing for a list price of US$16.6b. The agreement represents one of Iran’s biggest post-sanctions, economic spoils. Iranian officials, providing fresh detail about the accord Sunday, asserted that by signing with Boeing before Trump’s inauguration next month, it had a better chance of withstanding critics in Washington, DC. They said they were confident of winning financing for the purchase, and warned that if Trump or the US Congress tried to scuttle the deal, Iran would seek to recover lost payments. No money has yet changed hands. Iran Air is aiming to buy about 200 jets from Boeing and Airbus. <br/>