Iran’s national flag-carrier airline Iran Air has signed a contract to buy 20 turboprops from the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR, an official says.

"The contract between IranAir and ATR to buy 20 ATR 72-600 aircrafts has been signed by the officials of both countries," Deputy Transport Minister Asghar Fakhriyeh Kashan said on Monday.

ATR is jointly-owned by France-based Airbus and Leonardo of Italy.

The development comes after Iran struck deals with European aviation giant Airbus and the US aviation company Boeing in 2016 to purchase about 180 jets.

The agreements came after the restrictions imposed on Iran’s aviation industry were lifted following a nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The JCPOA was signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia -- plus Germany on July 14, 2015. The Islamic Republic and the six world powers started implementing the JCPOA on January 16, 2016.

Under the deal, limits were put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related bans against the Islamic Republic.