Iran has exported 4,000 tons of hand-woven carpets valued at $230 million so far in the current Iranian year (to end March 19, 2016), with Brazil, South Africa, Russia and China being the main destinations, according to Hamid Kargar, the head of Iran National Carpet Center. Exports are expected to bounce back in light of the recent lifting of a ban on the import of Iranian carpets by the United States. On average, Iran used to export $500 million worth of hand-woven carpets annually until two years ago when the exports dropped to $314 million largely due to sanctions.
