Iran says a major British trade delegation will arrive in Tehran on October 2 to look for avenues to expand economic relations between the two countries.
The announcement was made by Amir Hossein Zamaniniya, Iran’s deputy oil minister for international affairs, after a meeting with UK's Chargé d'Affaires to Tehran Ajay Sharma.
Zamaniniya told reporters after meeting Sharma that any foreign company that plans to operate in Iran should have what he described as a meaningful cooperation with Iran’s private-sector enterprises.
“The conditions of Iran’s private-sector companies have changed compared to 10 years ago and the foreign companies that want to operate in Iran should take this into consideration,” he said.
The exact combination of the British delegation is not known yet. But the media in London say it will include 15 top managers and experts from energy, law, engineering and other sectors, who will look at opportunities in the emerging Iranian market.
The delegation will be headed by Martin Johnston, the director general of the British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce. Also, the former British ambassador to Tehran Richard Dalton will accompany the delegation.
The British media say strong prospects for pharmaceuticals, medical exports, agricultural and general engineering products are likely to be reviewed during the visit of the delegation to Iran.
It is also understood that Shell and BP are interested in investments that would offer opportunities in the British oil and gas supply chain, said the reports by the British media.