Tehran, Iran, July 27
By A. Shirazi - Trend:
A deputy head of ICHHTO (Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran) for commercial affairs of Handicrafts Department said exporters of silk rugs to the European Union could be exempt from taxes.
“The EU considers ICHHTO a credible organization and exporters of silk rugs in Iran could be exempt from tariffs after obtaining a seal of approval from the center,” Pooya Mahmoudian said on Thursday, IRNA reported on July 26.
He added that Iran has established a foothold in the markets of Turkey, India, and Vietnam, noting that the value of Iran’s exports of handicrafts stood at $281 million in 2017.
The export of handicrafts is on the rise and is expected to surpass $500 million annually, the official said.
Recently, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a division of the US Treasury Department, said on its website that US rug dealers must wind down their Iranian imports by Aug. 6. They will not be allowed to import Iranian-made rugs from other countries either, even if those rugs have been out of Iran for decades. Dealers will still be permitted to sell Persian rugs that are already in the United States.
US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May, and Washington now plans to reimpose sanctions on Tehran next month. The first round of US sanctions on Iran goes into effect in August, followed by ones targeting Iran's oil exports in November.