Terror Air - Now Flying To Destinations Near You
Once upon a time, there was a school of thought in regard to American foreign policy and national security that believed we were somehow safe behind the barriers created by two great oceans. We did not need to involve ourselves in the affairs of other nations. We were safe in a fortress of some kind and could live here inviolate for all time.
Two world wars and the subsequent Cold War disabused us of that notion. Fires burning abroad would eventually come here as well. 9/11 reminded us that this is true of threats from non-state actors, not just nation-states.
The Biden administration is easily the weakest in regard to national security we have seen in the last 75 years. Focused on the destruction of American society and the transformation of the republic into some sort of socialist enterprise, Biden and his mandarins project weakness and incompetence to our enemies in all corners of the globe. The consequences of that are beginning to be felt very close to home.
In Argentina, authorities have grounded a Boeing 747. Prior to ending up in Argentina, the plane’s flight path had included stops in Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. On board was a suspiciously large crew of nineteen. At least five of those are Iranians. The pilot is a known Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general named Gholamreza Qasemi.
The plane belongs to Mahan Air. Mahan is one of several ostensibly private Iranian airlines, that in fact work on behalf of the IRGC. Mahan is designated as an entity that supports terrorism by the United States government. The 747 in question had been “leased” from Mahan by an entity called Emtrasur. Emtrasur is a division of the Venezuelan state-owned airline Conviasa. Conviasa has been sanctioned by the United States government for its involvement in unsavory activities on behalf of Caracas.
Prior to its seizure in Argentina, the Boeing 747 3B3M heavy cargo aircraft had already moved tons of cargo around Latin America. The pilot of the plane, Gholamreza Qasemi is a veteran of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC. He has worked in the past with Fars Air Qeshm, a cargo branch of Mahan Air. He is known to have been involved in the movement of arms and munitions to Syria to arm pro-Iranian forces there. He has also moved arms to Hezbollah.
A former member of Mahan Air, speaking anonymously, indicated that Mahan Air is known to use the ruse of “leasing” an aircraft to another airline as a means of attempting to hide its activities on behalf of the Iranian regime. Speaking about the aircraft now in Argentina he said, "The ownership has stayed with Mahan Air as the Conviasa has only leased it. It is not the only aircraft that Mahan Air has leased to domestic and foreign airlines to be operated under their air operator certificate (AOC). Operating them under the name of non-sanctioned airlines helps Mahan Air to not face complications caused by the sanctions of the U.S. Treasury Department while operating the alleged aircraft overseas."
Mehran Jannatseresht, a former flight engineer who was the head of Aeroflot (Russia's flag carrier) in Iran in the early 2000’s had this to say about Gholamreza Qasemi, pilot of the impounded Boeing 747.
"It was in 2005 or 2006, I was chief of station and representative of Aeroflot in Iran, I was also a Tu-154M flight engineer but I wanted to fly with Il-76 heavy cargo aircraft as (a) flight engineer as well. I was introduced to a Cargo airline named Fotros which was operating the aircraft type. During my visit to the office of the airline, I met Gholamreza Qasemi, who at the time with the rank of Brigadier from IRGC was head of its operations. Just a few days later, the airline became defunct. Later I found out that Fotros was a front company of the IRGC Air Force and it carried weapons and ammunition to African and Middle Eastern countries!"
Iran and Venezuela just signed a 20-year cooperation plan that specifically provides for military cooperation. Following the signing of the agreement supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made clear that the focus of the agreement was the United States.
“The successful experience of the two countries has shown that the only way to counter the heavy pressures and hybrid war of the U.S. is to stand up against it and resist.”
When seized, the plane was returning from a trip to Mexico. Cargo aircraft typically make short stops at each destination and get back in the air as quickly as possible. The 747 in this case made especially long stops each time it was on the ground – suggesting strongly its crew was involved in something other than the routine movement of normal cargo. At least one of its stops on prior trips was in the Tri-Border area in South America known to be a hotbed of Hezbollah activity. On at least one leg of its travels around South America, the plane flew with its transponder off in an obvious attempt to avoid detection and disguise its destination.
Whatever the plane was moving, it had already been delivered when Argentinian authorities stepped in. The only cargo found on board was automobile parts.
This is the reality of the world under Joe Biden. Our enemies are emboldened. They see weakness and sense opportunity. The threats are rapidly materializing – not just in faraway places but right here on our doorstep.
Whatever the IRGC was moving in cooperation with Venezuela was almost certainly delivered prior to the action taken by Argentinian authorities. That cargo, which could be virtually anything including weapons of mass destruction, may well be in Mexico. Our border with that nation is increasingly a fiction. Average Central American citizens cross it with impunity by the thousands every day. Trained IRGC operatives could certainly duplicate that.
Elections have consequences. In this case, courtesy of Terror Air, they may be deadly.
I've been tracking the largesse of this hydra for a long time. Great UNCLAS OSINT analysis product Sam. Tri-Border is as notorious as Hizb'Allah TTP and FID work with Foreign DTO, Narcotrafficantes. RF and GOI are all over the Pan-American regions, soft and hard power infiltrations. And OUR border is wide open.