Afghans Made Half of Foreign Investment in Iran This Year

Afghan nationals are responsible for half of Iran’s foreign investment in 2022 alone, stated Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the Iranian president’s special envoy for Afghanistan on Thursday.
Qomi added that Afghan nationals play a pivotal role in Iran’s economy, as half of Iran’s foreign investment comes from them, therefore the high capacity of Afghan citizens should be utilized when the country is facing difficulties in attracting foreign investment,” Khama Press News Agency reported.
The Iranian official noted that last year, the UAE expelled 700 Afghan businessmen from that country, whose capital was estimated at $30 million. 
"Unfortunately, we failed to attract this capital and encourage Afghan traders to invest in Iran,” he added.
Currently, Iran is plagued with a major challenge in attracting foreign investment. To address the issue, the Iranian government needs to come up with a comprehensive policy to ensure that Afghan business owners can legally run their businesses and other economic activities without facing hurdles. In the past, the bank accounts of Afghan citizens were blocked for vague reasons, which was a big blow to foreign investment, the news agency wrote.
The assets of Afghan businessmen and companies operating in Khorasan Razavi Province are estimated to be around $1 billion, according to an announcement of the Association of Afghan Economic Activists in the northeastern Iranian province.
To capitalize on the existing opportunity by providing work permits, visas and license to Afghan citizens, Iran can attract more foreign investors from Afghanistan, the region and beyond, the report concluded.
It added that Iran is the home of thousands of Afghan citizens, including businesspeople, students and refugees. Besides the increasing problems Afghan refugees are currently faced with, they have lived in peace and harmony for many years in Iran.

Calls for Bolstering Trade, Transit Ties With Iran

Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi, in a recent meeting with Iran’s Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan Seyyed Hassan Mortazavi, called for strengthening trade and transit ties with Iran, Bakhtar News Agency reported.
In the meeting held in Kabul, the two officials discussed important issues of mutual interest, according to a spokesperson in the Afghan Foreign Ministry.
Muttaqi called for increasing economic exchanges with Iran and noted that the import of essential goods from Iran increased with the arrival of the winter season.
Mortazavi expressed satisfaction with the security situation in Afghanistan and promised to cooperate in creating facilities for the growth of trade between Iran and Afghanistan.
The meeting came after Acting Industry and Commerce Minister of Afghanistan Nooruddin Azizi met with Bahadur Aminian, Iran’s ambassador in Kabul, and his accompanying delegation in his office earlier this month.
The two sides discussed joint commercial cooperation, increasing the volume of Afghanistan’s exports, facilitating the transit and trade of goods through Chabahar Port and Iran’s investment in Afghanistan.
According to the ministry’s statement, dialogue between the private sectors of the two countries, creating a joint industrial park on the border and Iran’s technical cooperation in some of Afghanistan’s infrastructure projects were agreed between the two sides.
Iran’s ambassador in Kabul said on Tuesday that major Iranian companies are interested in investing in various sectors of Afghanistan’s mines.

Afghanistan to Export Coal to Iran in Near Future

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said earlier that Kabul would sign a contract with Tehran to export coal to the neighboring country in the near future.

Speaking in an interview with Ariana News, Nooruddin Azizi said progress has been made in the negotiations to export coal to Iran and added that they are trying to expand the volume of exports so that Afghanistan’s trade balance becomes equal.
“We are in contact with Iran and the country is eager to import coal from Afghanistan. Iran needs this product to melt its iron,” said Azizi.
He also said that all exports of the country, including coal, are done in accordance with the prices of the international market, and that there is no reason to worry in this regard.
Iran will initiate mining in Afghanistan’s Ghor Province within a month, local officials were earlier quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.
An Iranian company has signed contracts to start mining for lead and zinc in Ghor, the report said.
Ebrahim Jamili, the head of the Mines and Mining Industry Commission of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, says Iran’s private sector is planning to invest in the mines of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan.
“We might need to transfer technology to these countries and, in return, meet our domestic needs for minerals from these mines,” he was quoted as saying.
A memorandum of understanding on exploration and exploitation of Afghanistan’s mines and mineral exports was signed between Iran and Afghanistan in 2016.
Afghanistan is home to over 1,400 mineral fields containing copper, gold, iron ore, lead, sulfur and zinc as well as high-quality gemstones such as emerald, lapis lazuli, red garnet and ruby.
It is believed that the country holds $1 billion in untapped mineral deposits, according to USGS reports. 
The best known and largest iron ore deposit in Afghanistan is located at Hajigak in Bamyan Province. It is also among the world's biggest untapped iron ore deposits.  
Hajigak Iron Ore Mine is estimated to possess nearly 2 million tons of approximately 62% pure iron ore, with 16 ore bodies extending for up to 3 kilometers. The mine is amenable to open pitting, with the added bonus that the nearby Shabashak Coal Mine provides an opportunity for the establishment of an integrated iron and steel plant.
Afghanistan is also home to one of the world's largest copper reserves. The Mes Aynak Copper Mine, located in the Afghan Logar Province, is the world's second largest copper reserve. The Afghan Mining Ministry estimates that the mine holds some 6 million tons of copper. The mine is expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars.