Lufthansa unit Austrian Airlines is ready to expand its services to Iran to include flights to Isfahan and Shiraz, as soon as a good opportunity presents itself, the chief financial officer of the Austrian group said on Thursday.

Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa's Vienna-based platform into Eastern Europe, already offers daily flights to Iran's capital Tehran.

Top officials touted Iran as an investment destination at a business conference in Vienna last week, offering tax breaks and vying for business to do research and development in Iran as a hub for the region.

Iran and six world powers struck a deal on Tehran's disputed nuclear programme in Vienna on July 14 and, if the U.N. atomic watchdog confirms Tehran is complying with provisions to curb its nuclear activity, Western sanctions could begin to be removed later this year.

"We have good relations with our partners there. We see the development in Iran as very positive for us. When an economically promising opportunity arises, we will be the first to grasp it," Heinz Lachinger told a conference call.

He said Austrian Airlines was currently looking into starting flights Isfahan and Shiraz, cities in central Iran with a population of around 1.5 million each. – Reuters