Boeing (BOE, Washington National) and General Electric have secured licenses from the US Treasury Department to export certain aircraft spare parts to Iran. Reuters newswire quoted a Boeing spokesman as saying the parts were needed to ensure safe flight, but did not specify which parts would be sold or for what price.

The deal is part of a temporary agreement that US Secretary of State John Kerry reached with the Iranians during talks held late last year in Geneva over Iran's controversial nuclear program.

Boeing said that among the conditions of its licence are that only components required to ensure ongoing safe flight operations of planes it sold to Iran before the 1979 revolution can be sold.

Engine manufacturer General Electric said it had been given the go-ahead to overhaul eighteen engines sold to Iran in the late 1970s. The work is to be carried out at either General Electric facilities or at German firm MTU Aero Engines, it said.

Iran claims the imposition of sanctions has severely impacted the overall safety of its skies with local airlines often sourcing spares from the international black market.

According to ch-aviation's fleet database, the only active civil Boeing aircraft exported to Iran before 1979 are two B747-200(M) and four B747SP aircraft operated by IranAir (IR, Tehran Mehrabad), a B747-200(F) freighter operated by Caspian Airlines (CPN, Tehran Mehrabad) as well as two B707-300s and a B737-200 operated by Meraj Air (MRJ, Tehran Mehrabad).