President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Samad Hassanzadeh has highlighted the need for Iranian officials to exercise political de-escalation as the first step to help boost non-oil exports.
In a speech on Thursday, Hassanzadeh regretted that “We are about $70 billion behind the target set in the 20-year vision plan for non-oil exports.”
In order for Iran to be able to return to its golden age, it is necessary for the government officials to exercise political de-escalation, seek further engagement with the world and more role in the global value chains, he said.
Highlighting the country’s transformation into the most industrialized oil-producing nation in the region, thanks to extensive public and private sector investments, the Iran Chamber of Commerce president, however, stressed that it still falls short of expectations.
Iran’s non-oil exports were expected to reach $120 billion in a 20-year vision plan, an ambitious target intended to position Iran as the economic leader in the region, Hassanzadeh said. “Yet, as the country approaches the final year of the plan, its non-oil exports remain approximately $70 billion behind this goal.”
“Today, Iran's 15 neighboring countries import close to $1 trillion annually from around the world,” he said, adding that Iran's share of this large market is as low as $25 billion, or 2.5 percent, which he believed does not correspond to Iran's capacities and long shared borders with these neighbors.
Hassanzadeh attributed these shortcomings mainly to US-led sanctions on Iran and the country’s restricted international banking relations due to its rejection of FATF.
He stressed that Iran has to define and launch mega-export projects tailored to the region's needs over the next 10 years.