Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 8 By Fatih Karimov – Trend: The Iranian administration had authorized direct foreign investments worth $5.168 billion for 66 projects following the implementation of nuclear deal last January, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, the Iranian government’s spokesman, said. The Islamic Republic has issued permissions for $2.95 billion foreign direct investment in 38 project from beginning of current Iranian fiscal year (March 20), Nobakht said, Mehr news agency reported Aug. 8. Meanwhile total foreign direct investment in last fiscal year (ended March 20) stood at $6.7 billion for some 63 projects, he said. The figure for preceding fiscal year was $930 million for 41 projects, Nobakht added. The projects which have obtained permission to receive foreign investment after the nuclear deal implementation include various areas such as transport, renewable energy, tourism, electrical industry, food and machinery industry, he said. Earlier Hossein Salimi, member of the Iranian Committee of International Chamber of Commerce, forecasted that Iran is expected to receive some $8 billion worth of direct foreign investment by March 2017. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Iran’s annual inward FDI (foreign direct investment) was $2.408 billion on average during 2005-2007, while this figure for 2011-2014 was $3.523 billion. Iran’s total inward FDI from 1995 to 2011 was a little over $33 billion, according to the UNCTAD.