Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture

Iran, Italy discuss ways to strengthen trade ties despite sanctions

Iran and Italy have discussed ways to maintain and expand their trade relations despite sanctions, with a focus on easing visa procedures for businesspeople and organizing joint commercial events in various sectors.

The issue was discussed at a meeting between Samad Hassanzadeh, president of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, and Italian Ambassador to Tehran Paola Amadei. Hassanzadeh said the two countries had maintained their relations despite restrictions resulting from sanctions, but stressed the need to take further steps to strengthen cooperation given their longstanding ties and mutual interest in expanding business relations. He said Iran had made considerable progress in several fields despite sanctions, including petrochemicals, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, industrial machinery and refineries. He also identified Iran’s building materials industry as an area with significant potential for cooperation with Italy, noting that many Iranian ceramic and building stone manufacturers operate using Italian technology, with some exporting their products to Italy. Hassanzadeh invited the Italian ambassador to visit different Iranian provinces to become familiar with their economic capacities. Ahmad Pourfallah, head of the Iran-Italy Joint Chamber of Commerce, described the body as one of the oldest active joint chambers in Europe, noting that its mirror chamber in Italy also remained active. He said the two sides had cooperated in transferring Italian expertise and experience to Iran in areas such as tourism, ceramics, stone, mining, oil and leather. He added that the chamber had maintained close institutional ties with its Italian counterpart, including through the participation of an Italian businessperson on its board. Pourfallah said Iranian businesspeople and the public felt close to their Italian counterparts and hoped bilateral relations would strengthen again once sanctions were lifted. Amadei highlighted the long-standing economic, political, social and cultural ties between the two countries, expressing readiness to help plan initiatives to expand cooperation. She pointed to Italy’s industrial machinery manufacturing capabilities and pharmaceutical products as important areas of bilateral cooperation, adding that scientific research and knowledge exchange also offered opportunities for closer ties. The ambassador said Italian companies could continue working with Iranian partners in fields not subject to sanctions. She also highlighted the role of the Italian Trade Agency’s office in Tehran in providing information to businesspeople and facilitating commercial relations. Amadei further referred to longstanding cooperation in archaeology, saying planned visits to Iran’s historical and archaeological sites could help strengthen cultural ties.
Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture

Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture

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