Advocate in Iran Diplomacy Paid by Boeing

Former ambassador supporting Iran nuclear deal worked as an employee and consultant for aircraft manufacturer.

New details are coming out as to how Boeing was able to potentially secure a $25 billion order from Iran Air. The Daily Beast reports the airframe manufacturer employed former ambassador Thomas Pickering as both an employee and consultant in the years leading up to the deal.

Pickering previously represented the interests of the United States on the global level as an ambassador to both Israel and the United Nations in the Clinton Administration. As the Iran nuclear deal progressed, Pickering was a vocal supporter for coming to a diplomatic solution, going so far as to speak publically in support of an Iran deal and writing opinion pieces for major American newspapers.

However, the former diplomat may have neglected to disclose his relationship with Boeing until after the deal was complete. In an e-mail to The Daily Beast, Pickering confirmed he was employed by Boeing from 2001 to 2006, followed by consulting for the company from 2006 to 2015. Today, Pickering is still connected to the Chicago-based airframe manufacturer through Hills and Company International Consultants, who currently serves Boeing as a contract consultant.

During that same time, Pickering served as the chair of the Benghazi Accountability Review Board and testified before the House Armed Services Committee about the Iran Nuclear Deal. In his Congressional testimony, Pickering was introduced as part of The Brookings Institution.

The potential conflict of interest has caught the attention of government watchdog organizations, who feel the public had a right to know of Pickering’s work with Boeing.

“In Pickering’s case, he has a direct connection to Boeing, which I think should be disclosed,” Neil Gordon from the Project on Government Oversight told The Daily Beast. “It’s necessary for the public to fully realize the participants’ financial interests.”

The $25 billion airplane order is the third major deal Boeing has made with foreign operators in the past year. In 2015, the airframe manufacturer also announced major deals with both China and Russia.

[Photo: The Washington Diplomat]