Because, you know… they’re trustworthy and will certainly abide by the terms of the nuclear treaty that just freed up hundreds of billions of dollars for them to spend.

“The Iranians would set up companies to try to do deals and then fold them up. They didn’t stay around for long,” said Kim.

The methods used to evade sanctions mirror those used in other countries that are or have been under international sanctions in recent decades, such as South Africa, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Iraq and North Korea.

After the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions on Jan. 16, Iran’s aviation industry is coming out of the shadows.

With an order for 118 Airbus jets witnessed in Paris by President Hassan Rouhani, Iran moved swiftly to exchange a collection of vintage jets held together with smuggled parts for a new fleet capable of taking on rival Gulf carriers.