The newspaper quoted Mohammad Khodakarami, deputy head of Iran’s civil aviation authority, as saying British Airways officials visited Tehran on Tuesday to discuss resumption of flights. He did not elaborate.

Khodakarami also said both Air France and Dutch flagship KLM have already announced their readiness to resume flights to Tehran.

European carriers stopped their flights to Iran after the West imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

Currently Iran’s national carrier, Iran Air, has three weekly flights to London as well as two weekly flights each to Paris and Amsterdam.

Earlier this week, Iran said it is also considering direct flights to the United States. Direct flights stopped between the two countries more than three decades ago. Iran and the United States severed air links when Washington broke relations in 1979.

Tehran has also expressed interest in buying scores of new airplanes from American aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Iranian officials have already discussed buying 114 airplanes from European consortium Airbus.

About 1 million Iranians live in the United States, mostly in California. Thousands fly to Iran every year, often changing planes in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Dubai, AP wrote.

Peugeot and its French partner Citroen will work with Iran’s Khodro to produce 200,000 vehicles a year using parts manufactured in Iran, reports AFP.

The first vehicles will roll off the production line in 2017, the source said.

Peugeot pulled out of Iran in 2012 as Western sanctions imposed over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

At the time, Iran was Peugeot’s second-largest market after France.

Rouhani is scheduled to visit his French counterpart, François Hollande to revive business ties.

On lifting crippling sanctions, Austrian Newspaper added that the German carmakers have previously expressed their interest to enter Iranian markets.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told IRNA on Thursday that he is visiting Iran on the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Bijan Namdar-Zanganeh.

The invitation has been extended to Pakistan after removal of sanctions.

Mobin Saulat, Managing Director of Inter State Gas Systems will accompany Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to Tehran.

The minister during the visit will meet his Iranian counterpart in Tehran and will discuss ways to accelerate efforts on early completion of the IP project.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had visited Iran on January 19 and in addition to the meditation efforts between Iran and Saudi Arabia, also discussed bilateral relations with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Nawaz Sharif was first world leader to visit Iran just few days after lifting of sanctions.

According to a press release issued by Airbus, Iran Air has signed an agreement with Airbus for the acquisition of the full range of new Airbus airliners (73 widebodies and 45 single aisle). This includes pilot and maintenance training and support services to help the entry into service and efficient operations of these new aircraft.
In parallel the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Dr. Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi, has signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement as part of the country’s modernization of its civil aviation sector, to support the development of air navigation services (ATM), airport and aircraft operations, regulatory harmonization, technical and academic training, maintenance, repair and industrial cooperation.
These two agreements took place as part of the implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on January 16th 2016, and its associated rules and guidance.
The agreement for 118 new aircraft signed by Mr Farhad Parvaresh, Iran Air Chairman and CEO, includes 21 A320ceo family, 24 A320neo family, 27 A330ceo family, 18 A330neo (-900), 16 A350-1000 and 12 A380.
‘Today’s announcement is the start of re-establishing our civil aviation sector into the envy of the region and along with partners like Airbus we’ll ensure the highest world standards,” said Mr Farhad Parvaresh, Iran Air Chairman and CEO.
“The skies have cleared for Iran’s flying public and Airbus is proud to welcome Iran’s commercial aviation back into the international civil aviation community. Today is a significant step in the overhaul and modernisation of Iran’s commercial aviation sector and Airbus stands ready to play its role in supporting it,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.
Airbus is the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer of passenger airliners, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Airbus has design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain, and subsidiaries in the US, China, India, Japan and in the Middle East. In addition, it provides the highest standard of customer support and training through an expanding international network.

Mohammadreza Mehdipour who was providing a report of the storage situation to Razavi Khorasan provincial governor on Thursday, said four storage facilities in Khangiran and Gonbadli had been operating to provide north and northeast with natural gas. “Major part of gas is fed into power plants and petrochemical plants,” Mr. Mehdipour said, according to MNA.
“Khrasan’s Shourijeh facility is operating to contribute to stability of gas production and distribution nationwide; in D storage facility of Shourijeh, storing gas started with feasibility studies complete in 2010; in first eight months of the year, the storage facility receives gas and in the four remaining months, it provides the network with gas; with receiving gas, now Shourijeh has put Iran in the top of Middle East gas storage ranking, which brings Iran a fifth global ranking,” Mehdipour detailed.
“Shourijeh D formation makes it possible to recover 12 million cubic meters of gas daily. Three compressors inject 10 million cubic meters of gas, each with 3.6 million cubic meters daily to Shourijeh, which is enough to recover 20 million cubic meters in cold seasons of the year,” he told reporters.
The first phase of the project provides 10 million and the second phase provides 20 million cubic meters in summer recovery of gas. Reports said that the total volume of gas in the storage facility is 4.6bn cubic meters.
Shourijeh facility is located 25km southeast of Sarakhs and adjacent to Shahid Hasheminejad Refinery.

Mohammad Reza Modoudi, the TPO vice-president for trade assistance, said that Iran has no restrictions for expansion of trade relations with other countries and imposition of tough regulations for trade with certain countries is aimed at respecting internal laws of other countries and avoiding interfering in other countries’ affairs.
A few days ago, Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh had issued an order, banning Iranian merchants from re-export of Turkish commodities to Russia.
Russia banned an array of Turkish agricultural products after a Turkish fighter shot down Russia’s Su-24 jet over Syria on November 24, 2015.
Modoudi said that Iran welcomes promotion of ties with all countries, neighbors in particular, and expects other countries to regard Iran a reliable trade partner.

A member of the 3-person delegation Alan Lim in the meeting with Governor General of Qazvin province and provincial directors in sectors of industry, gas, trade and commerce here on Wednesday said that they are ready to invest in upstream industry of petrochemical.
He said that are they ready to construct petrochemical complexes in Qazvin and invest in this sector too.
In the meeting, Hemmati expressed province’s readiness for absorbing foreign investment and said that in post-sanctions era, government intends to absorb foreign and domestic investments in different economic sectors.
Deputy Governor General for economic affairs Mojtaba Shirali described Qazvin province with various economic capabilities and its closeness to Tehran and enjoying appropriate communication and transportation network as part of its capabilities.
Main gas transfer pipeline passes from Qazvin, which is an advantage for petrochemical industry; he said adding that, the province is a connection point for 13 provinces with capital, Tehran.

Gojlo said that confidence is a principle in starting any work, especially trade, and added that for creating confidence a reciprocal understanding is necessary.
He termed Polish economy as one of the most stable economies of European Union and said that the secret to its success is presence of Polish businessmen and investors in other countries, government’s non-interference in activities of the private sector and tendency to small sized and early-return investment projects.
Gojlo heading of 21-strongmen delegation including investors and economic activists visited phases 1 and 2 of industrial area, recreational and tourist sites as well as 190 hectares of green house site in the Aras Free Zone on Wednesday.

Iran’s Ambassador to New Delhi Gholam-Reza Ansari in a speech at West Asia Conference in New Delhi criticized India’s delay in implementing the important projects and said New Delhi should make hasty decisions on such projects as Chabahar.
Ansari said the Indian private sector is highly interested in making investment in Chabahar but the government of the country does not show any willingness in this concern.
The Iranian envoy said India had in the past acted cautiously in implement important projects but the country should know that conditions have changed in west Asia.
He said he had been recommended over the past three years to be patient with respect to Iran-India important projects but questioned whther India is willing to lose such excellent opportunities through its delays.
The India Express wrote on Wednesday that now out of the harsh Western sanctions, Iran has hinted to India that it could lose out on Chabahar port and the associated railway line to Zahedan if there was further delay by New Delhi in providing monetary support for them.
“A number of economic projects with Iran are required to be implemented at the earliest. The Iranian government has stressed to us at high levels the urgency to extend the necessary financial support for these projects without further delay,” India’s foreign ministry informed the relevant ministries last week.

Talking to IRNA, Steven Gay said that Iran offers an exciting and unique chance for world aviation industries given the fact that it has dire need to renovate its aviation fleet and develop infrastructures.

He believed Iran had to rely on its own resources and develop its financial resources in a bid to eliminate investment hazards.

The Scottish official is here to take part in a two-day event of Iran’s Aviation Summit 2016 which opened at Azadi Grand Hotel on January 24 with the participation of Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi and more than 160 representatives from 85 international aviation manufacturers.