The Iranian government has said it expects delays in the delivery of its first Boeing jets.

IranAir (IR, Tehran Mehrabad) ordered fifty B737-8s, fifteen B777-300(ER)s, and fifteen B777-9s from the US manufacturer in December 2016 with deliveries of its first jets - B777-300(ER)s - having been scheduled for April this year.

However, according to the ISNA news agency, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Fakhriya Kashan, said last week that Tehran now expects the first B777s to arrive during the final quarter of this year.

Kashan also said that despite US President Donald Trump's sabre-rattling, the export licences granted to Boeing, Airbus, and ATR - Avions de Transport Régional by the US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) were still valid and that no changes had been made.

Last week, Vali Azarvash, the managing director of the Atieh Saba Investment Company, one of the main shareholders of Iran Aseman Airlines (EP, Tehran Mehrabad), told the Fars news agency that the carrier would likely firm up its options for thirty B737 MAX 8s should Washington maintain its current trade stance with Tehran.