The aftershocks of the Emtrasur case are now palpable as the crew members of the aircraft seized by the United States after being detained in Argentina in 2022 on suspicion of espionage activities have filed a lawsuit against Argentine legislator Gerardo Milman in a Tehran court, demanding financial compensation.
The parliamentarian reported the case to the federal court of Lomas de Zamora under Judge Federico Villena, which has jurisdiction over the “Ministro Pistarini” International Airport, also known as Ezeiza International Airport, serving Buenos Aires.
In this judicial context, Milman accused that the Venezuelan aircraft operated by Emtrasur engaged in irregular practices during its flight from Córdoba to Buenos Aires, such as disabling the transponder, a device that provides information to the radar system to identify and track aircraft.
Gerardo Milman pointed out that among the crew, Gholamreza Ghasemi, the aircraft’s captain, is identified by the FBI as an international terrorist and is allegedly associated with the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC-QF) and Hezbollah.
Moreover, Milman emphasized that one of the passengers shared a surname with the Iranian Interior Minister at the time, Ahmad Vahidi, who is accused in Argentina as the mastermind behind the AMIA bombing. According to the data Milman handled, this individual did not register upon entering Argentina and may have disembarked in Paraguay.
The Lawsuit
Argentine legislator Gerardo Milman announced on his social media account X, @gmilman, that he has received a “summons from the Tehran courts to testify regarding my complaint about the Iranian-Venezuelan plane in Argentina.”
He stated that “The Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran expects me to appear personally in a country where the rule of law does not exist,” but warned, “They will not intimidate me. My commitment to the truth is unbreakable. I will continue to denounce every threat, no matter the source.”
The summons was sent to Deputy Milman via the Iranian embassy in Argentina, distributed to the national government headquarters in the Quinta de Olivos, President Javier Milei’s residence, as well as to Congress, the parliamentarian himself, and the Delegation of Argentine Jewish Associations (DAIA).
Thus, Milman transitioned from accuser to accused by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which issued the citation on May 12 of the current year, summoning him to appear on October 27 at 9 a.m. at the Tehran General Jurisdiction Court for Civil Matters, Room No. 55.
However, Gerardo Milman is not the only defendant; the then-president of DAIA, Jorge Knoblovits, who was one of the complainants, along with other Argentine and American officials whose identities remain unspecified, are also being sued.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of “illegal actions contrary to international obligations.” It also claims that they participated in “taking hostages, torture, and physical and psychological mistreatment.”
The Plaintiffs
The plaintiffs, Saeed Valizadeh, Mohammad Khosravi Araghy, Gholamreza Ghasemi, and Mahdi Mosuli, are demanding compensation for tangible direct and indirect damages that Gerardo Milman allegedly caused them.
Notably, Gholamreza Ghasemi, who served as the pilot of the Boeing 747-300M, is considered by the FBI to be an international terrorist and is reported as being associated with the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC-QF) and Hezbollah.
Additionally, Ghasemi is the CEO and a board member of Fars Air Qeshm, identified by the U.S. Treasury as directly participating in the terrorist activities of the Quds Force and supporting Mahan Air.
The FBI report states: “The Quds Force has a long history of supporting Hezbollah militia, paramilitary groups, and terrorist activities, providing leadership, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support. The Quds Forces operate a training camp for Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and have reportedly trained over 3,000 soldiers in the Revolutionary Guard’s barracks in Iran.”
Meanwhile, Mahdi Mouseli was the co-pilot of the aircraft. Information on the rest of the crew is virtually nonexistent.
The summons to testify reportedly extends to Jorge Knoblovits, Secretary General of the Latin American Jewish Congress, who presided over DAIA at the time of the events and reported the case to Judge Federico Villena, who also received the communication. Marta Nercellas, the lawyer representing Milman and Knoblovits, also received the citation.
Ali Mashayekhi, who acts as the attorney for the plaintiffs, stated that his clients were detained for five months in a place “created by the Zionist regime (Israel) and the United States.”
The Origin of It All
On June 8, 2022, Argentine authorities detained a Venezuelan-registered cargo aircraft owned by Emtrasur, a subsidiary of Conviasa. The rationale for this action—besides the suspiciously excessive crew of 19, consisting of 14 Venezuelans and five Iranians—was that the aircraft had been sold by the Iranian company Mahan Air, which has been under investigation in the U.S. since 2011 for its alleged links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Quds Force, a special unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. It is reported that Mahan Air transports weapons and fighters for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.
Argentina suspected the reasons for the aircraft’s arrival in their territory, and legislator Gerardo Milman requested a court to fingerprint the crew members and compare them to the records of the Federal Intelligence Agency. The parliamentarian theorized that the plane and its crew were involved in intelligence operations on Argentine soil.
The aircraft’s route from Mexico raised suspicions in Uruguay—where landing was denied—and Paraguay, thus triggering alarms when it arrived in Argentina with a purported cargo of auto parts.
On January 3, 2024, Judge Villena ordered the aircraft’s seizure in response to the U.S. request, based on the opinion of Prosecutor Cecilia Incardona and Diego Solernó, the Director General of Regional and International Cooperation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Both considered the request valid under a treaty signed between the two countries that establishes Argentina and the U.S.’s commitment to mutual assistance and cooperation in executing requests for registration, embargo, and seizure.
The Argentine Supreme Court upheld the seizure, and in February 2024, the aircraft was delivered by Argentine justice to the U.S. authorities, who claimed it as the Boeing 747-300—being of U.S. manufacture—was subject to U.S. sanctions for its alleged use in international terrorist activities.
The aircraft was claimed by the District Court of Columbia, and Argentine federal judge Federico Villena formally executed the transfer. The Justice Department alleged that Emtrasur acquired the plane in violation of U.S. sanctions.
The Department of Justice accused that, despite the change of ownership, a former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and also a board member of the Iranian airline Qeshm Fars Ai continued to be the aircraft’s captain. They pointed out that between February and May 2022, he registered flights between Caracas, Moscow, and Tehran, violating U.S. restrictions. Later, it was revealed that the aircraft was dismantled at an airport in Miami, Florida.
Sources consulted:
1) Milman, Gerardo. @gmilman. On X. Available at: https://x.com/gmilman/status/1952810295841161267?s=48&t=XguywAz5INI0Q56JbpogrA
2) Niebieskikwiat, Natasha. “Unprecedented summons from Iran to Milei, to deputy Milman and other figures: they are demanded a compensation for the Venezuelan aircraft episode.” August 5, 2025. In Clarín. Available at: https://www.clarin.com/politica/inedita-citacion-iran-milei-diputado-milman-figuras-piden-compensacion-episodio-avion-venezolano_0_FT0IycUFLq.html
3) Granadillo, Andrés. “The web of the Venezuelan aircraft with Iranian crew held in Argentina.” June 18, 2022. In France 24. Available at: https://www.france24.com/es/am%C3%A9rica-latina/20220618-entramado-avi%C3%B3n-venezolano-tripulaci%C3%B3n-ir%C3%A1ni-retenido-argentina
4) SWI. “Argentinian Justice orders the seizure of the Venezuelan-Iranian aircraft requested by the U.S.” January 3, 2024. Available at: https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/la-justicia-argentina-ordena-decomiso-de-avi%C3%B3n-venezolano-iran%C3%AD-solicitado-por-ee-uu/49098716 5) Infobae. “The Supreme Court endorsed the seizure of the Venezuelan-Iranian aircraft that was sent to the United States.” August 7, 2024. Available at: https://www.infobae.com/judiciales/2024/08/07/la-corte-suprema-avalo-el-decomiso-del-avion-venezolano-irani-que-fue-enviado-a-estados-unidos/