TEHRAN,Iran, May 11
Trend:
Iranian companies should use digital technologies as an alternative to traditional trade that shrank due to COVID-19, and oil price drop, spokesman of Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union (OPEX) Hamid Hosseini told Trend.
"Iran is an oil producing country and would definitely feel the oil prices drop," he said. "The private sector that export oil and petrochemical products are having difficulties, especially those that have stored supplies."
He added that the domestic companies also have to cop with quarantine, while foreign customers don't have possibility to buy oil products due to closure of borders.
"The activities of the mentioned companies have reduced in the past three months," Hosseini added.
He pointed out that the companies that took interest in technologies during COVID-19 pandemic, were in a better situation.
"Many were forced to use digital technology to provide services in Iran, to compensate for some of problems caused by the pandemic," he said.
"It is time to leave traditional ways behind and use modern technologies that can substitute traditional trade options," Hosseini said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.
The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.