‘Iran in talks with Europe’s businesses’

Iran has maintained a dialog with investors in countries it did business with in the past, and is confident it could attract investment in the automobile, steel and heavy machinery industries, Valiollah Seif told Bloomberg in an April 12 interview in Washington during the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings.

“France, Germany and Italy have had extensive economic relationships with Iran and they have kept that relationship,” Seif said.

“They are in contact and in discussion on projects and we expect that once sanctions are lifted, they are waiting to make investment in all different areas,” the CBI chief added.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, the US, France, Britain - plus Germany inked the nuclear accord in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24, 2013. The two sides started implementing the agreement on January 20.

Under the Geneva deal, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for the Islamic Republic agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, including a voluntary suspension of its 20-percent uranium enrichment program.

Following the implementation of the Geneva deal, a 116-strong French delegation made up of representatives from major multinational companies such as Total, Lafarge and Peugeot, traveled to Iran for commercial opportunities. Several other countries have also dispatched business delegations to Iran over the past months.
/SR