Iran has held talks with Afghanistan to help exploit iron ore mines in the country, Reza Fatemi Amin told Iran’s Arabic news channel, Al Alam.
Afghanistan is rich in mineral reserves. A huge deposit of an Iranian iron ore mine named Sangan, which is situated in Khaf lies in Afghanistan, he said.
Thanks to its facilities and high-tech know-how, Iran can help exploit the iron ore in Afghanistan. This will be mutually beneficial, he added.
We are following up the negotiations with the Afghan party to gradually build processing capacities in Afghanistan, he noted.
We can swap Iranian goods for the ore we exploit in Afghanistan, Reza Fatemi-Amin noted, he further noted.
Afghanistan is one of the poorest nations in the world, he said, noting that the country lies at the crossroads of Central and South Asia and is sitting on mineral deposits worth nearly $1 trillion, including critical industrial metals such as lithium.
Iran sees Afghanistan's development as a boon to its own. The constant principle for Iran has been the development of its neighbor irrespective of who rules the country because underdevelopment and insecurity in Afghanistan also affect Iran, he underlined.
Iran is Afghanistan’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of its total trade volume. However, transactions are about to fall short of the $2.7 billion targets set for this year, he added.
***Iran eying joint ventures with neighbors
During his interview, the Iranian minister also touched on a diverse range of issues including Tehran’s plans to launch joint venture projects with neighboring countries.
We have already held talks with several regional countries including Oman, Qatar, Syria, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Armenia. By doing so, we can distance from exporting raw materials and boost sustainable exports. Joint ventures are mutually beneficial and offer a guaranteed marketplace by serving the common interests of nations,” Fatemi-Amin underscored.
He said other regional countries can also invest in Iran and benefit from its trade capacities.
Iran is open to foreign investments. Oman, Qatar, and Armenia have already shown interest in investing in Iran, he underlined.
Given Iran’s geographical situation, regional countries eye utilizing Iran’s transportation facilities said the Iranian minister.
Fatemi Amin also said Iran is embarking on using transit capacities of neighboring countries too.
Under a transit agreement between Iran and Pakistan, Iranian and Pakistani trucks can now easily ship goods between two countries, he pointed out.
Oman is very keen on investing in the Chabahar Port Development plan. We have invited the Omani officials to visit Chabahar, he added.
Good neighborly diplomacy, including the expansion of trade ties with neighboring states, tops the agenda of the new Iranian government. Tehran’s innovative trade diplomacy can further promote peace and stability in the region and beyond by securing the interests of the sovereign regional states and engaging them in constructive interaction.
Since Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi took office back in August 2021, Tehran has broadened its focus on boosting ties with the regional and neighboring countries.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has international borders with 13 countries. Iran shares a total of 5,894 km of land borders with its neighboring countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. It also has a total of 2,440 km of coastline, sharing maritime borders with 6 other countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Given its strategic geographical location, the Islamic Republic has enormous potential for promoting and facilitating trade in the region.
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