Iran nuclear deal: Does this application form mean you'll soon be able to get McDonald's in Tehran?

US chains like McDonald's could start to do business in Iran

It’s not that usual for McDonald’s to become a symbol of warming relations with the US (Getty)

Not so long ago Iran put the Simpsons on a blacklist because it represented western culture. Now, as an unexpected consequence of the warming relations between Iran and the US enshrined in the Iran nuclear deal, Iran could be about to get McDonald’s, according to the BBC.

What does a treaty designed to limit Iran's nuclear program have to do with McDonald's golden arches?

If the treaty is passed by the Republicans, it will mean sanctions are lifted on Iran that currently prevent trade there. US chains like McDonald's could start to do business in Iran as a result.

An application form for an McDonad's franchise in Iran

In fact, McDonald's already posted an international franchising application for McDonald's online - but then it also has one for Syria and other nations that it cannot currently trade with.

A notice on their website reads: "We have not set a firm date for the development of McDonald's restaurants in Iran. In the future we may take steps to open McDonald's restaurants in Iran."

Iranians took to Twitter to express their excitement – or not – that Ronald McDonald might be on his way.

It’s not that usual for McDonald’s to become a symbol of warming relations with the US. Russia and China allowed McDonald’s to franchise at the end of the cold war in 1990. You couldn’t buy a Big Mac in Vietnam until 2014. Yemen, Syria and Bolivia are still waiting.

"To the rest of the world, McDonald's is a little slice of Americana," John Stanton, a professor of food marketing at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, told the BBC.