Iran F-14s in service despite sanctions

A top Iranian commander says the F-14 jet fighters of Iran’s Air Force continue to operate despite Washington’s sanctions and restrictions.

Aziz Nasirzadeh, an Iranian Air Force commander, said on Saturday that sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic are much more severe when it comes to F-14 fighter jets.

“Although there exist restrictions and sanctions on Iran regarding the procurement of equipment in all sectors, these sanctions are double as severe when it comes to F-14 fighter jets because the aircraft was only used in the US and Iran,” he explained.

The senior Iranian commander also underlined that F-14 fighters have been retired from service in the United States.

Nasirzadeh underscored that the United States destroyed all its F-14 jets in order to keep any third country from gaining access to its parts.

“Maybe Americans thought that Iran was after these parts, but they didn’t know that we don’t need these parts at all,” he noted.

Upgraded and improved, he said, F-14 fighter jets in Iran are used for training and conduct tactical drills on a regular basis.

Nasirzadeh pointed out that local experts and technicians are capable of maintaining F-14 fighters as well as other aircraft of the Iranian Air Force.

“Today, technicians at the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Air Force do reverse engineering, and all parts required by this kind of fighter jet are made or upgraded inside the country and installed on the aircraft,” he concluded.