LONDON, United Kingdom -  A senior official with Iran's aviation authority has expressed hope for economic relief in the event of a deal between Iran and the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

"If a nuclear accord is closed, positive developments could be on the way," said Saeed Chalandari, the director of Imam Khomeini International Airport located near Tehran, in an interview with the ILNA news agency.

Negotiators from Iran and the United States continued the recently resumed diplomatic initiative with a second round of talks in Rome on Saturday. Both sides have hailed the meeting as positive, announcing plans for a new "experts-level" round on Wednesday.

Iran is seeking major verifiable sanctions relief in the potential deal in exchange for caps on its nuclear enrichment regime. Washington, on the other hand, seeks assurances that Tehran will never acquire the technology to produce nuclear weapons. 

The aviation official added that the number of flights to and from Imam Khomeini Airport could jump, and "we will witness a return of European airlines into Iran's aviation network" if such a deal is on the horizon.

According to Chalandari, the resumption will boost revenue in Iran's sanctions-hit aviation industry. Among those companies are DHL Express and NAKO Air Services GmbH, he said.

Iran had already entered negotiations for the return of the two after the signing of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the accord in 2018, imposing his "maximum pressure" policy on the Islamic Republic with onerous sanctions. The move forced multiple international firms to abandon Iran or drop negotiations on their return.

As confirmed by Chalandari, an array of European civilian airlines have downgraded or entirely cut off flights to Iran after the JCPOA fell apart, amid fears of significant penalties threatened by the US administration. Among those companies are British Airways, Air France, and KLM, as well as many cargo and logistics firms that have either reduced or fully halted operations.

The airport director also noted that Iran expects a considerable boost in international investment across its aviation should a new nuclear agreement be finalized.

Yet he asserted that the country's affairs are not being "conditioned or pinned on" prospects of a deal, citing recent advice by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds the final say in Iran's foreign policy matters.