Germany slaps ban on Iran's Mahan Air!

• Mahan Air is on a US sanctions list and Washington has long urged allies to ban the airline from their territories.

Germany has banned Iran's Mahan Air from landing in the country with immediate effect, citing security concerns and the airline's involvement in Syria, officials said on Monday.

Mahan Air is on a US sanctions list and Washington has long urged allies to ban the airline from their territories. The decision to ban it came after consultations with European allies and the US, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

"It cannot be ruled out that this airline carries out transports to Germany that affect our security concerns," he said. "This is especially true against the backdrop of terrorist activities, intelligence on terrorist activities from the Iranian side and Iranian entities in Europe in the past."