Federal agents are investigating whether a helicopter they have been holding for 14 months at a Texas airport was earmarked for shipment to Iran.
The Dallas Morning News says the agents suspect an Italian company, Tiber Aviation SRL, has already shipped two helicopters to Iran and that the third was also intended for the country.
The Sunday newspaper says the $US8 million aircraft meanwhile sits in a Bell Helicopter hangar in Arlington. It says Tiber Aviation bought three Bell 412 helicopters from Helivan SA of Mexico last year for about $22 million.
The United States has imposed an embargo on trade with Iran since 1995, but foreign-based US-linked companies can use legal loopholes to sell American-made goods.
