TEHRAN, Iran, Sept. 24
Trend:
Secretary of Iranian Free Zones High Council Morteza Bank has announced that exports of goods from the free zones in the last seven years reached $169 billion, Trend reports via IRNA.
"The share of exports is much higher than imports at the free zones," he said.
"Statistics show that during the last seven years, the total import to the free and special economic zones of the country stood at $45 billion," he said.
Noting that if there were no banking restrictions and sanctions, the economic situation with the zones would have been much better, Bank said that despite all these problems, still 40 percent of the country's exports account for the free and special economic zones.
"Of course, half of these exports belong to petrochemical products," he said.
He went on to add that obtaining licences creates many problems for foreign and domestic investors at the zones, but there are still those who are willing to invest, despite the obstacles.
Iran has free and special zones in the cities of Kish, Qeshm, Chabahar, Aras, Anzali, Arvand and Mako.