Iran Auto Expo Opens in Beirut

A specialized exhibition on Iran’s automotive industries opened in Lebanon on October 25, according to reports from the East Mediterranean country.

The exhibition, which is the first of its kind since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the nuclear deal that was signed between Iran and six world powers, aims to expand economic ties among Muslim countries and to promote non-oil exports, IRNA reported.

The exhibition opened on Tuesday at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center. Present at the event were top government officials and business owners in the areas of industries, economics and trade. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali also attended the event.

The exhibition, which runs till October 28, is organized with the collaboration of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran and Iran’s Embassy in Lebanon.

Participating Iranian automakers include Iran Khodro Company, SAIPA, Iran Khodro Diesel, SAIPA Diesel, Pars Khodro and Zamyad, alongside a group of auto parts manufacturers such as ISACO and Saze Gostar SAIPA.

Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh, one of the event’s organizers, said Iran and Lebanon’s trade volume should increase and is currently lower than what is expected.

“The two countries can better exploit the economic potentials to attain this goal,” he said.

The organizer added that the reason for the low trade volume is that the private sectors of the two countries are unfamiliar with opportunities.

“We hope that this exhibition will provide an opportunity for businessmen and industrialists to familiarize themselves with the business environment of the two countries,” he said.

Khanzadeh noted that Iran currently produces 1.5 million cars annually.

“The fact that there are seven free trade zones and 32 special economic zones in the country places Iran in a strategic position in the region,” he said.