Path for legal trade with Iran open: BICC

Vice-President of the British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce (BICC) Richard Dalton said on Friday that the channel for legal trade with Iran is still open despite U.S. sanctions against the country.

He made the remarks in an Iran-UK business meeting dubbed “Iran-UK Business Relations: Opportunities and Prospects" in London.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the British Ministry of International Trade, chambers of commerce of the two countries and British and Iranian trade companies, entrepreneurs, and Iran's ambassador to London Hamid Baeedinejad.

In his remarks, Dalton condemned U.S.'s efforts to harm the Iranian nation, peace and security in the region as well as Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Deploring EU's procrastination for implementing their commitments under the JCPOA and inability to bypass the sanction, he said that however, trade with Iran is still possible.

Dalton, who served as UK ambassador in Tehran from 2003 to 2006, also called on Iran to return to JCPOA, though the other parties did not comply with the deal.

Baeedinejad for his part, noted that despite the U.S. sanctions which seemingly hinders mutual cooperation, there are many capacities for promoting trade ties between Iran and the UK.

Also speaking in the meeting, British Government's Special Envoy for Iran's Trade Affairs Lord Norman Lamont told the same meeting that the country will do its best to promote trade ties with Iran.

A delegation of 15 Iranian companies in the fields of agriculture, poultry food, livestock and aquaculture also attended the event which was held in collaboration with the British Ministry of International Trade.

The meeting was significant because the United States' illegal and unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA in May last year and the return of sanctions against Iran have put significant pressures on foreign companies' commercial and financial relations with Iran.

Many European companies that sought to expand trade cooperation with Iran after the signing of the JCPOA continue to consider U.S. penalties, despite encouraging measures by European governments and launching a special Iran-Europe financial mechanism called INSTEX.

source: Tehran Times