Abdolamir Rabihavi, director general of the organization's West Asia Office, said the agreement is expected to be placed on parliament's agenda next month. He said the organization had made significant progress in trade diplomacy and in developing border and port infrastructure with neighboring countries, adding that efforts over the past two years showed a firm commitment to facilitating and expanding trade with regional markets.
Rabihavi also said Iran was pursuing the revival of a preferential trade agreement with Turkey. Initial work and preliminary negotiations have been completed, he said, expressing hope that the talks would produce tangible results in the coming months.
The official said organizing border markets with Iraq and Turkey was another priority. In cooperation with border provinces including West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam and Khuzestan, inactive border markets have been reopened, he said.
Iran has also taken steps to expand trade with its western neighbors by approving and submitting lists of eligible goods, coordinating the allocation of import codes and addressing customs procedures, Rabihavi said.
He said Iran was also examining the capacity of its southern ports to expand trade with neighboring countries such as Qatar and Oman. Inspections and reports on the ports of Dayyer and Jask submitted to Iran's customs administration and other relevant bodies had produced positive results, he said.
At Jask port, efforts to remove obstacles related to temporary import procedures have increased the port's capacity to develop trade with regional countries, Rabihavi said, adding that similar efforts were continuing at other customs facilities and had produced positive results.
The measures reflect a broader effort by Iran's Trade Promotion Organization to use regional trade capacity and remove legal and infrastructure barriers to strengthen Iran's position in global trade, he said.
Trade diplomacy expands
Rabihavi said the organization had recorded significant achievements in 2024 and 2025, including record levels of business delegations and the expansion of export infrastructure.
Iran's 2024 Expo was among the country's most successful trade events, he said, citing the participation of government officials and private-sector representatives from several countries.
The Africa summit held on the sidelines of the 2024 Expo was unprecedented in Iran's foreign trade history in terms of the number of government officials and private-sector representatives attending from the continent, Rabihavi said.
About 700 African ministers, deputy ministers and senior delegations took part in the event and visited production facilities in provinces including Isfahan, creating opportunities for longer-term economic cooperation, he said.
Rabihavi said expanding ties with neighboring countries and West Asia remained a key priority. Iran actively hosted and sent trade delegations to major markets including Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait during the period, he said.
The 2024 Fars Expo, which focused on Persian Gulf countries and Iraq, was another step toward strengthening regional trade ties, he said.
Expansion of trade centers
Iran has also restructured its network of overseas trade centers over the past two years, Rabihavi said.
The expansion of trade centers was prioritized, with new centers established in some countries where Iran previously had none, he said. In countries where Iran had only one trade center, the number was increased to two or three to provide greater support for Iranian exporters.
The organization has also sought to strengthen economic diplomacy by expanding its network of commercial counselors, Rabihavi said.
In Iraq, commercial counselor coverage has been expanded from Baghdad to Erbil and southern Iraq in response to existing trade potential, he said. Similar measures are being pursued in other target markets, including Turkey, where Iran is working to establish a commercial counselor presence in Ankara.
Rabihavi said Iran was also developing trade road maps with key economic partners, including Iraq and Turkey. The road maps have been sent to the respective counterparts for review and finalization, and many countries have already submitted their proposals, he said.
Pursuing bilateral trade agreements is also a key part of Iran's strategy to facilitate and make trade more sustainable in the future, Rabihavi said.
NOURNEWS