An American plane would need all sorts of permissions granted to go to Iran. Somebody got that permission:
Iran had an unlikely visitor: a plane, owned by the Bank of Utah, a community bank in Ogden that has 13 branches throughout the state. Bearing a small American flag on its tail, the aircraft was parked in a highly visible section of Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
But from there, the story surrounding the plane, and why it was in Iran — where all but a few United States and European business activities are prohibited — grows more mysterious.
With talks with Iran about their nuclear programs going nowhere, I wouldn't be too shocked if the administration blessed an effort by a private individual to see if a deal can be worked out.
If so, I imagine it would have to involve American concessions to get a deal where Iran pretends to end their nuclear programs and we pretend to believe them.
But that is a long standing worry of mine.
With problems in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the Obama administration would love to have something it could portray as a diplomatic success. They'd just have to maintain the fiction until the fall mid-term elections.
The mystery of who is on the plane and why they are there remains.
UPDATE: Iran has an answer:
Iran says that a plane which landed in Tehran airport flying the American flag was leased to Ghana's presidential office and carrying a business delegation from the West African nation. ...
State news agency IRNA on Friday night quoted Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as saying that the plane was transporting the brother of Ghana's president and a mining delegation.
Interesting. But nothing seems suspicious--like Uranium--off hand. I wonder how sanctions affect such a mission? And I freely admit I simply may not understand the nefarious uses that Ghana's mineral exports could support. Although we and Ghana are friendly, as the article notes.
So chalk it up as a short-lived, interesting bit of RUMORINT.
