An official session of talks was held in Tehran last week between the Sultanate of Oman and Iran, covering areas of transport and logistics.
The Omani side was chaired by Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Oman News Agency reported on Saturday.
The Iranian side was chaired by Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash. The meeting reviewed bilateral relations and discussed means of enhancing cooperation in the fields of transport, logistics and aviation.
The two sides stressed the importance of utilizing the investment opportunities available in the maritime and air transport sectors, as well as areas related to logistics.
They also underscored the need for integration between Omani and Iranian ports to support investment and import and export activities, in addition to linking the two countries with more shipping lines. The session was attended by officials from both sides.
The Omani transport minister on Wednesday met with Mehdi Dousti, the governor-general of Hormozgan Province. This came during the Omani minister's visit to Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port.
The two sides reviewed means of activating mutual cooperation between Oman's ports and Shahid Rajaee Port.
The Omani minister was briefed during the visit on the stages of development of Shahid Rajaee Port where he toured several facilities.
Shahid Rajaee, located in the southern Hormozgan Province, is Iran’s biggest commercial port. It accounts for the highest share of all goods exported from and imported to Iran.
The namesake economic zone, which has a loading/unloading capacity of 100 million tons per year, accounts for over half of Iran's trade and about two-thirds of total freight transit through the country.
The lion’s share of Iran's containers is handled at Shahid Rajaee Port. With 18 gantry cranes and 40 berths, it is the most advanced container port of Iran.
Launched in 1985, the port has expanded every year and is currently connected to 80 ports worldwide.
The significance of this port lies in its large capacity, including its location in the Persian Gulf, container terminal, fuel bunkering, access to 24 kilometers of railroads and round-the-clock truck transportation.
Business Forum in Tehran
The Iran-Oman Business Forum was held in Tehran on Monday to boost trade exchange between the Sultanate of Oman and Iran.
The forum also aimed at consolidating bilateral business relations, conducting strategic partnerships to augment the volume of investments and business activity, and accessing new economic fields.
Several B2B meetings were held during the forum between Omani and Iranian businesspeople. Those meetings targeted business and investment deals. As many as 250 Iranian firms took part in the event.
According to the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, the host of the event, business opportunities in the fields of agriculture, food products, construction materials, medicine and medical equipment were examined at the forum.
The forum was attended by members of the Oman-Iran Business Council and the delegation that was taking part at Iran Expo 2023.
The Oman-Iran Business Council on March 22 held its first meeting for 2023 under the chairmanship of Mohammed Abdul Hussein Baqer, the head of the Omani side in the council. The meeting, held at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s headquarters, discussed a spectrum of business, economic and investment topics. It also touched on the council’s action during the previous period, in addition to what will be implemented during 2023.
The meeting highlighted means of enhancing trade exchange, which contributes to boosting exports and imports.
The Fifth Export Potential Exhibition of the Islamic Republic of Iran, also known as Iran Expo 2023, opened in Tehran on Sunday in the presence of President Ebrahim Raisi.
A total of 750 domestic companies are present in this year’s event and 60 countries worldwide have expressed readiness to visit Iran Expo 2023, IRNA reported. The expo concluded Wednesday, May 10. The event hosted 70 commercial and governmental delegations including more than 1,200 traders and government officials from the world over. It was aimed at expanding Iran’s export markets with special focus on East Asia, Eurasia, Africa and Latin America, as well as diversifying the country’s exports (particularly knowledge-based products and those with higher added value) in order to increase the resilience of the Iranian economy.
The Trade Promotion Organization of Iran said the event would lead to a $2 billion increase in Iran’s export revenues, considering the high turnout of foreign traders.
Twelve groups of export products, including knowledge-based products, medical equipment, home appliances, industry, food products, petrochemicals, construction, handicrafts and technical and engineering services are being showcased during the four-day event.
Iran’s Exports to Oman Up 52% in FY 2022-23
Iran’s exports to Oman stood at 3.34 million tons worth $1.08 billion in the fiscal 2022-23 (ended March 20), registering a 29% and 52% growth in terms of weight and value respectively compared with the year before, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Customs Administration.
The value of exports stood at $716.22 million, the news portal of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Industries reported.
Imports amounted to 942,202 tons worth $800.47 million.
The imports’ value stood at $619.42 million in the fiscal 2021-22.
In total, the value of trade between the two countries in the last fiscal year increased by 41% to $1.88 billion when compared with $1.33 billion in the previous year.
