Rohani orders study of possible Iran-US flights
Senior government official says Iranian president wants to study options of resuming direct flights between Iran, US halted after 1979 Islamic Revolution
Iran's president is asking aviation authorities to study the possibility of resuming direct flights between Iran and the United States for the first time in more than three decades.
Hassan Rohani's request reflects Iranian efforts to possibly build on the groundbreaking exchanges with Washington that included a telephone chat last week between the new Iranian president and President Barack Obama.
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Iran's immediate goal is to resume talks over its nuclear program to seek easing of Western sanctions. But Tehran also appears willing to explore expanded contacts.
The semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Akbar Torkan, a senior government official, as saying on Monday that Rouhani wants to study the options of direct flights.
More than 1 million Iranian-Americans live in California and elsewhere.
Direct flights halted after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Meanwhile, a CNN poll showed that three-quarters of Americans say they favor direct diplomatic negotiations with Iran in an attempt to prevent that country from developing nuclear weapons.
Just one in five questioned in a CNN/ORC International survey released Monday morning say they opposed negotiations with Tehran.
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