TEHRAN, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran partially reopened its airspace and some airports on Saturday, said its Civil Aviation Authority.

Air routes in Iran's eastern airspace have been opened to international flights, the authority said in a statement, adding that some airports have also reopened at 7 a.m. local time (0330 GMT).

Flight operations at Iranian airports will gradually return to normal once technical and operational preparations are completed by the country's military and civilian authorities, it said.

Iran had closed its airspace following the joint attacks by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28.