SEATTLE - A package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to curb its nuclear program reportedly includes a way to help the country repair its fleet of aging civilian aircraft, which for years has been hindered by sanctions.



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Under strict sanctions, Iran has long been unable to get spare parts for its fleet of more than 25-year-old Boeing planes directly from the U.S. airplane maker. With Boeing Co. barred from even communicating with the country, Iran can't have the type of technical discussions that most airlines rely on to keep a fleet healthy and safe.

Joel Johnson, an international trade analyst with the Teal Group, said the ban has at times made it hard for Iran to be informed of potentially life-saving safety issues.

Iran has frequently complained that the U.S. ban on parts has undermined safety, and has blamed the ban for several deadly crashes. It's an issue some U.S. officials have raised at certain points.

William Reinsch, a high-ranking   official in the Clinton administration who is now president of the Washington-based National Foreign Trade Council, said he was among those who tried unsuccessfully over the years to relax the ban in the name of safety.

"I was sort of taking the position, 'I'm sorry that they're the enemy ... but I don't think it's good for anybody to have their planes falling out of the sky,'" Reinsch said. "That's not what we as Americans ought to be for."

Some analysts say Iran has likely had to rely on its own engineers and manuals to maintain the aging civilian airplanes. Johnson and others believe the country's airlines also may have been able to get parts via repair facilities outside the United States, but he believes it has been a difficult and complicated process.

All that would change under an offer to Tehran that is part of a bid to resolve a nuclear standoff with Iran. Diplomats told The Associated Press that the United States had upped the ante on what had initially been a European offer to supply Airbus parts by agreeing to provide Boeing aircraft parts for Iran's fleet.

Just days earlier, Washington had broken with decades of official policy of no high-level diplomatic contacts with Tehran, announcing it was ready to join in multinational talks with the Islamic republic over its nuclear program.

The diplomats spoke about the spare parts offer on condition they not be identified because they had not been authorized to release the information.

The State Department on Tuesday declined to comment.

Iran operates four narrow-body 727s and six wide-body 747s, Boeing spokeswoman Amanda Landers said. Iran also has two single-aisle 737-200s, and one 737-200 freighter in storage, Boeing said. The Chicago-based airplane maker last delivered a plane to Iran in 1980, making its fleet of Boeing aircraft well over 25 years old.

Landers said Boeing would assess the fleet and sell Iran any spare parts needed if the U.S. agrees that Boeing can do so.

Iran also operates 17 Airbus airplanes, including one A321, eight A310s and eight A300s, spokesman Justin Dubon said. Dubon said only eight of those airplanes were bought directly from Airbus and it wasn't immediately clear how old the planes are.

"Airbus is looking at this and will follow any international rules," Dubon said.

While Iran is eager to have easy access to airplane parts, Johnson said he believes the country also may be hoping the deal will clear the way for the country to eventually purchase new airplanes as well.

"They really need to replace their fleet," Johnson said