Iran’s media reported on Saturday that foreign investments in the country had seen an unprecedented three-time rise in the second quarter of 2015.
Foreign investments in Iran over the period had reached as high as $3 billion. The figure was higher than the total of $2.1 billion of foreign investments made in the country from March 2014-2015.
The Organization for Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran (OIETAI) has been quoted as announcing in a statement that the rise has been the result of "massive planning” as well as a stronger economic "stability” in Iran for the past two years.
The OIETAI has described this as a major success in face of sanctions that ban foreign investments in Iran and the exodus of international companies from the country as the result of the sanctions from 2009 to 2012.
It also said there has specifically been a surge in proposals by foreigners for investments in Iran in the first quarter of 2015 and that a large number of delegations had visited the country to study investment plans over the same period.
This comes as many expect foreign investors to flood to the emerging Iranian market once Iran and P5+1 manage to reach a deal over the Iranian nuclear energy program.
Iran and P5+1 – the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany – are currently engaged in talks in Vienna over the final text of a potential deal. They face a self-declared deadline of June 30 to reach a deal that envisages the removal of certain economic sanctions against Iran in return for the country’s efforts to restrict certain aspects of its nuclear energy activities. Nevertheless, both sides have already emphasized that talks can continue beyond the deadline until all issues are resolved and a deal is reached.