TEHRAN, Iran, April 11. Iran's trade ties with Kuwait have remained unchanged without any improvement, the head of the Iran-Kuwait Joint Chamber of Commerce Hani Feysali told Trend.
"There has been no change in Iran's trade conditions with Kuwait and Iranian businessmen could not obtain a visa from Kuwait to visit the markets since the start of the corona pandemics," he said.
The current trade between the two countries is done via businessmen who had prior interactions with Kuwait.
He went on to say that Kuwait can not easily issue visas for Iranians like other Persian Gulf countries that have made it difficult for trade.
According to the official, Iran and Kuwait trade was $400 million at its best which has declined to $138 million in the last Iranian year (started March 21, 2021).
"The trade between the two countries has never been high but the pandemics have made it worse," he noted.
He criticized some of Iran's regulations saying that Kuwait has a good market but Iran's new regulations and tariffs have created obstacles to export and import and prevented the increase in trade.
Iran usually exports minerals such as stone, gypsum, and construction materials to Kuwait. The country previously used to export engineering services that have been suspended.
The official expressed hope that the possible revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) could improve Iran's relations with other countries, especially the Persian Gulf States.