France stops Iran’s Mahan Air flights under US pressure, sources say

France joined a growing number of govts in blocking flights by Iranian carrier Mahan Air as the US stepped up its campaign to squeeze Iran’s economy, people familiar with the matter said. Mahan, which the US contends has links to Iran’s Quds military force, flew 4 flights a week to Paris Charles de Gaulle. The move was a priority for the Trump administration, according to one of the people. The Trump administration is trying to choke off Iran’s economy as part of a “maximum pressure campaign” aimed at getting Tehran to stop developing ballistic missiles and abandon what the US terms malign activity in the region. France’s decision to deny landing rights to Mahan follows a similar move by Germany in January. It was reported that the French ban would take effect April 1 <br/>