Business in Iran, Tehran

The objectives of the subject “Foreign Trade and Business in the Islamic Republic of Iran” are the following:

1. To analyse the Iranian Economy and Foreign Trade (Import, Export, FDI)
2. To know the business opportunities in the Islamic Republic of Iran
3. To explore the Iranian trade relations with the country of the student
4. To know the Iranian Free Trade Agreements
5. To examine the profile of the Iranian Companies
6. To develop a business plan for the Iranian Market

1. India-Chabahar (Iran)-Afghanistan Economic Corridor
2. Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran Transport Corridor (KTAI-ECO)
3. International North-South Transport Corridor (India-Russia)
4. China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor
5. Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Rail and Road Corridor (ITI-ECO)
6. International Transport and Transit Corridor of the Ashgabat Agreement
7. Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA)
8. Access to the:
   1. Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Transport Corridor (Lapis Lazuli)
   2. Trans-Caspian Trade and Transit Corridor (Central Corridor)
   3. Silk Road
   4. Asia-Africa Growth Corridor

Iranian Preferential Access and Free Trade Agreements

1. Iran and the Central Eurasian Economic Area
2. Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO)
3. Asian Clearing Union (ACU)
4. Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
5. Trade Agreements with Algeria, Syria, and Venezuela
6. Armenia-Iran Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
7. Transit and Trade Agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan
8. Iran-Pakistan-Turkey Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA)
9. Islamic Trade Preferential System (TPS-OIC)
10. Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP)
11. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Observer)
12. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (Observer)

Trade Facilitation Programs

1. World Trade Organisation (WTO) (in process of accession)
2. World Customs Organisation (WCO)
   1. Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)
3. International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods (UNECE)
4. Organisation for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD)
5. Uniform Rules concerning the Contract of International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM, CIT)
6. Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR, UN)
7. Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF)
8. International Bureau of Containers and Intermodal Transport (BIC)
9. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO, Chicago Convention)
10. International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
    1. International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC)
    2. Convention Relating to Temporary Admission (Istanbul Convention)
11. Customs Convention on Containers (CCC, UN)
12. International Road Transport Union (IRU)
    1. TIR Convention
    2. Guidelines on Safe Load Securing for Road Transport

Islamic Organisations

1. Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
2. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
   1. Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)
   2. Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)
   3. Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT)
   4. Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC)
3. Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED)
4. OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID)

Asian Trade and Economic Organisations

1. Asian Development Bank (ADB)
2. Colombo Plan
3. Africa-Asia Strategic Partnership
4. Boao Forum for Asia
5. Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD)
6. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

Global Organisations

1. United Nations (UN)
   1. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
   2. International Trade Centre (INTRACEN)
   3. Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
   4. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
2. World Bank (WB)
3. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
4. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
5. ...

The Islamic Republic of Iran.

1. Politics of Iran takes place in the framework of a Republic with an Islamic ideology
2. the Iranian Constitution (December 1979) and its rectification (1989) define the political, economic, and social order of the Islamic Republic of Iran
3. The Iranian Constitution declares that Shi'a Islam (Shiite) of the Twelve school of thought is the official religion of Iran
4. Persian (Farsi) is the most broadly spoken language
5. Persian has had a significant influence on neighbouring languages, particularly Turkic languages in Central Asia
6. The borders of Iran are Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan
7. Iranian Population: 78 million people
8. Area of Iran: 1,648,195 square kilometres
9. Iranian Currency: Rial
10. Abolition of Slavery in Iran: 1928

Religion in Iran.

1. Islam. Almost 90% of the Iranians are Shiite Muslims, thus being the spiritual leader of Shiite community in the World
2. An estimated 9% are Sunni
3. Iran is a Shiite Muslim country Imani - Twelver Shi'ism - (89% of the population), this branch is the majority in Shi'ism
4. “Jaafari” is the most common by the Iranian Shi'a school of law (fiqh)
5. Iran became an Islamic Republic after the Islamic Revolution (1979)
6. Before the Arab invasion, Persia (Iran) was the homeland of Zarathustra, founder of Zoroastrianism (Parsis), today virtually non-existent in Iran
7. In Iran was born Bahaullah, the founder of Baha’i Faith

Iran belongs to the Central Eurasian Economic Area (Islamic Civilisation).

Iranian Economy.

The economy of the Islamic Republic of Iran was crippled by the Islamic revolution, the Iran-Iraq war, and attendant economic mismanagement.

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran ranks fourth on agricultural products export diversity in the World
2. Iran is the second petrol and gas manufacturer in the World
3. Iran holds fourth to ninth rank in zinc, lead, cobalt, aluminium, manganese, and copper production in the World
4. 233 Techno-Engineering projects have been executed in thirty-three countries by the Iranian companies over the last decade
5. Industrial commodities make up 70% of non-petroleum export
6. Iranian import structure consists of capital, intermediated goods, and consumer products
7. Iran holds the seventh standing in tourist attractions
8. Access to the Eurasian Land Transport Initiative, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and to the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor

Iranian petroleum industry is a largely developed industry with highly rated and valuable resources and capabilities with immense crude oil reserves from which 130.798 billion barrels can be exploited in the form of primary and secondary recoveries.

Iranian Muslim Businesspeople and Companies.

1. Islamic Revolutionary Guard
2. Bahman Group“Bonyads”: Mostazafen Foundation of Islamic RevolutionIranian National Shipping Lines
3. Wagon Pars
4. Iran Carpet
5. Cooler Iran
6. Misr-Iran Textile
7. Aburaihan Pharmaceutical

Esfahan's Mobarakeh Steel is the largest industrial complex in the Islamic Republic of Iran and has been established and commissioned after the victory of the Islamic Revolution and entered into the functional stage in early 1993.

Omid R. Kordestani is an Iranian-American Businessman was a senior adviser to the founders of Google and non-Executive Director of Vodafone.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is allowed in agreement with the prevailing laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran. All foreign investors are allowed to invest, for the goal of development and producing activities, in all the sectors of industry, mining, agriculture, and services.

However, from the standpoint of the Iranian Government, only those investments should be eligible to benefit from the privileges and protections under the Foreign Direct Investment Promotion and Protection Act that have obtained the required License under the act.

The Iranian Foreign Investment Company was incorporated on March 1998 as a Private Joint Stock company with a mission to manage and expand the Iranian holdings abroad.

The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the responsible for the conception and implementation of the Monetary and Credit Policies with due regard to the general economic policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Iran Customs Administration consists of a central Headquarters and ten branches of supervision. The President of the Iranian Customs serves as Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, which is the highest position of the Customs Administration.