PARIS (AP) -- Air France will resume flights to Tehran for the first time in more than seven years, as part of resuming European trade with Iran following a hard-fought deal to curb its nuclear activities.

The airline announced in a statement Tuesday that it "is supporting the resumption of commercial exchange with Iran" and will operate flights three times a week starting in April.

The statement says "Air France is illustrating its ambition to expand in a country with buoyant growth, as the European Union is Iran's fourth most important economic partner."

Air France operated flights to Tehran from 1946 until October 2008, when they were suspended amid U.N. and EU sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

By AP