A high-ranking 150-member French economic delegation plans to visit Iran next Sunday to explore avenues for trade ties in meetings with Iranian ministers and top officials.
French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll and Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Promotion of Tourism Matthias Fekl would lead the delegation which will include representatives from 150 French companies and large industries.
While in Tehran, the French delegation is to hold separate meetings with Iranian political and economic officials as well as members of its chamber of commerce. They are to discuss major issues in the fields of foreign trade, tourism, housing, industry, insurance, healthcare, transportation and banking.
According to the reports, French oil major compnay Total (TOTF.PA) also aims to return to Iran. The company is blamed by Iranian officials for playing a major role in Qatar's over extraction of gas from a shared gas field in Southern Iran, known as the South Pars, for the past 10 years.
Experts have asked Iran's National Gas Company to sue the French company.
In July, following Iran's agreement with the six world powers (the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany) in Vienna, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius traveled to Tehran, and voiced willingness of his country's multinational firms to resume operations in Iran.
"I am seeking to resume political and economic ties with Iran during my visit to Tehran," Fabius said, addressing a joint press conference with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran in July.
He noted that the French firms that are actively operating at the highest level in the world are ready to come to Iran in case of Tehran's willingness.
The French foreign minister pointed to environment, agriculture and Tourism as other areas for further mutual cooperation between France and Iran, and said, "The French agriculture and trade ministers will pay a visit to Iran in September."
Fabius said that tourism is also another area for cooperation, and added, "French tourists are willing to visit Iran's beautiful cities."
He, meantime, pointed to the willingness of French automakers, including Peugeot and Renault, to increase their activities in Iran, and said, "Auto manufacturing is also a possible area for cooperation."
But the return of the French carmakers was apparently not welcomed in Iran as the return of experts from French automaker, Peugeot, to the Iranian auto companies attracted heavy criticism from Iranians who claimed full financial compensation of 32trillion rials (nearly $1bln) on Peugeot due to the harms and losses it incurred when it unilaterally dropped its contract with Iran's auto sector in February, 2012 under the pretext of sanctions. The company also stopped its exports of vehicles and spare parts to Iran and even refused to supply the country with the required auto parts meantime.
Immediately after the Iran's Vienna agreement, Peugeot sent its delegations to Iran's largest carmaker Iran-Khodro Company (IKCO) to discuss further cooperation, while it was deeply concerned about the losses it had sustained after quitting the country and losing its lucrative market.
The chances have been zero for any future cooperation between Iranian automakers and the French carmaker so far.