France restricts services of Iran's Mahan Air after similar move by Germany

France has revoked the licence of Iranian airline Mahan Air from April 1 on its activities outside of Europe, three French officials said on Monday. "Mahan Air can no longer serve French territory as of April 1," a French Foreign Ministry official said.

The decision, which follows a similar German move in January, was made on the grounds of the airline transporting military equipment and personnel to Syria and other Middle East war zones, two diplomatic sources said. Germany foreign ministry spokesman Christofer Burger had said that the move was necessary to protect Germany's "foreign and security policy interests".

Mahan air was blacklisted by the US in 2011, as Washington said the carrier was providing technical and material support to an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards known as the Quds Force.