TEHRAN, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Civil Aviation Authority said Sunday that it has approved the resumption of international flights from Mashhad International Airport in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi starting Monday.

In a statement published on its official website, the authority said the decision follows an earlier announcement that eastern Iranian airspace has been reopened to international flights. It added that some airports resumed operations at 7 a.m. local time (0330 GMT) on Saturday.

The agency said no permission has yet been granted for the sale of tickets for domestic flights.

Iran shut down its airspace after joint U.S. and Israeli strikes starting on Feb. 28, halting civilian aviation operations across the country.

The aviation authority said that flight services at Iranian airports will gradually return to normal once technical and operational preparations are completed by military and civilian authorities. ■