After nuke deal, Rouhani says Iran could soon buy new planes
Jul. 16, 2015 5:03 AM EDT
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president has pointed to another possible windfall from the nuclear deal with world powers — his country may soon be able to buy badly needed new planes for its aging fleet.
Hassan Rouhani says Iranian negotiators came away from the talks in Vienna with "achievements beyond the nuclear" agreement and succeeded in having "aviation sanctions removed."
His remarks were carried by the official IRNA news agency late Wednesday.
Sanctions have prohibited the sale of Western planes and some spare parts to Iran, making it impossible for Iran to buy new planes and difficult to keep the aging Boeings and Airbuses it does use safely flying.
The last time Iran bought new aircraft from a Western company was in the early 1990s from the Dutch manufacturer Fokker.
