Boeing will sell 80 airplanes to Iran, the company announced on Sunday, closing a deal worth about $16 billion. The new orders, to start in 2018, will support nearly 100,000 jobs in U.S. plants, Boeing said. The sale includes the 737 Max and the 777x, both of which are still in development, as well as the 777-300ER. It’s the biggest business deal with Iran by any U.S. company since President Obama lifted sanctions against the country in January. The U.S. House already has passed a bill seeking to block the sale, and the Senate is expected to vote on a similar bill soon. It’s not yet clear if the Trump administration will back the deal when they sign on in January.
President-elect Trump tweeted last week that he would like to cancel a $4 billion contract with Boeing for the next Air Force One, and he also tweeted over the weekend about the military F-35 program, calling the costs “out of control.” After Jan. 20 “billions of dollars” will be saved on military and other purchases by the federal government, he said.
