Iran opens food industry sales office in Tashkent 

TEHRAN – The head of the Iran-Uzbekistan Joint Chamber of Commerce announced the establishment of a permanent sales office for Iranian food industry products in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, while citing FATF-related restrictions as the biggest obstacle to trade between the two countries.According to the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA), Mousa Aghaei said on Saturday that the sales office was launched in cooperation with the Mazandaran Chamber of Commerce and the Iran-Uzbekistan Joint Chamber.He noted that the initiative would significantly enhance bilateral cooperation.Aghaei stated that the current $500 million trade volume between Iran and Uzbekistan is unsatisfactory.He emphasized that while Uzbek citizens and government officials are eager to collaborate with Iranian businesses, challenges such as FATF-related restrictions, transportation issues, and high tariffs have hindered trade expansion.Highlighting Iran’s advantages in engineering services, construction materials, industrial production, agricultural equipment, and knowledge-based products, Aghaei noted that a recent meeting with Uzbekistan’s ambassador to Iran included discussions on Iran’s entry into Uzbekistan’s knowledge-based market. He said the ambassador welcomed the proposal enthusiastically.In early January, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Tehran Fariddin Nasriev met with Ali Akbar Safaei, the former head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), to discuss strengthening bilateral and regional transport and transit collaboration.The meeting emphasized facilitating trade between the two nations, the PMO portal reported.As reported, discussions focused on streamlining multimodal transportation between Iran and Uzbekistan via Iranian ports in the country’s northern and southern regions.The PMO expressed readiness to swiftly address issues faced by Uzbek traders and businesses along regional corridors passing through Iran. The two sides also discussed organizing reciprocal trade delegations, including visits by Uzbek technical representatives, traders, and transport companies to explore Iran’s port capacities for enhanced transit options within the framework of the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC).Additionally, the meeting highlighted the importance of establishing joint regional corridors to facilitate the smooth movement of Uzbek goods to Russia and India, leveraging Iran’s port infrastructure to achieve the goals set by the presidents of both nations.In a meeting with a joint delegation from the Ministries of Agriculture, Trade, and Investment of Uzbekistan in Tehran in early December, 2024, Iranian Minister of Agriculture Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh stated that Iran is prepared to enhance cooperation with Uzbekistan in sharing agricultural experiences and technology.Referring to the 14th Iranian government’s strategic vision to enhance relations with other countries, Nouri highlighted the initiative taken by th