Airplane maker Boeing on Friday said it had been granted a license from the U.S. Treasury Department to supply spare parts for commercial airplanes to Iran "for safety of flight purposes."
The news was first reported by Reuters.
Boeing did not release an official statement, but a company official confirmed the report to NBC News.
The license is for a limited time, as defined by the agreement Secretary of State John Kerry reached with Iran late last year, spokesman Tim Neale told NBC News.
In November, Iran signed an agreement to curtail its nuclear activities for six months in exchange for sanctions relief from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
According to an unnamed Boeing source quoted by Reuters, Boeing received the license this week and would now contact officials in Iran to determine which parts were needed.
The report added that the license covered only components needed to ensure continued safe flight operations of older Boeing planes sold to Iran before the 1979 revolution and did not allow discussions about sales of new aircraft to Iran.
Current U.S. sanctions on Iran include an embargo on dealings with the country, as well as a ban on selling aircraft and parts to Iranian airline carriers.
— Becky Bratu
Reuters contributed to this report.
