National Export Day ceremony held with President Pezeshkian in attendance

National Export Day ceremony held with President Pezeshkian in attendance

TEHRAN- The National Export Day ceremony was held on Wednesday morning, October 21, at the Summit Hall, with the attendance of President Masoud Pezeshkian; Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi; Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade Seyed Mohammad Atabak; Head of the Trade Promotion Organization Mohammad Ali Dehghan Dehnavi; Head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture Samad Hassanzadeh; those active in the field of foreign trade, and related experts, to honor national exemplary exporters.

At the 30th National Export Day ceremony, the Export Atlas system was unveiled, and 13 national premium companies and 43 national exemplary companies were honored.

A joint committee should be formed to quickly remove export barriers

The Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade, emphasizing the need to accelerate the removal of export barriers, called for the formation of a joint committee with the participation of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade, and the Central Bank to quickly resolve exporters’ problems.

Seyed Mohammad Atabak, Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade, speaking at the National Export Day ceremony and referring to the presence of private-sector representatives in the Supreme Council for Non-Oil Exports, stated: “Given the multiplicity of government bodies present in this council, it is necessary to form a specialized committee before issues are raised at the highest level, so that the required matters are examined there and, as far as possible, decided.”

Addressing the President, the Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade added: “In the current situation, especially given hour-by-hour changes in the status of some borders, decisions must be made more quickly. Accordingly, I propose that a committee be formed with the membership of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade, and the Central Bank so that it can decide on the current issues and problems of exporters. In cases requiring decision-making at a higher level, the approvals of this working group would be submitted to the Supreme Council for Non-Oil Exports for final approval.”

Atabak, referring to the unveiling of the comprehensive atlas of the country’s official foreign trade gateways at the ceremony, said: “It is expected that this atlas will become a reference for foreign trade actors. Of course, to maintain its effectiveness, the information must be continuously updated, and this can be pursued under the stewardship of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran.”

He also emphasized the need to strengthen the presence of Iranian traders in target markets and referred to the capacities of the country’s trade agreements, saying: “In some markets, including the Eurasian Economic Union, there are fewer barriers to trade development, but the presence of Iranian traders in these markets still needs strengthening.”

The Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade, referring to last week’s meeting with officials of the Eurasian Economic Union, stated: “At this meeting, the Union’s officials did not consider the number of Iranian traders active in the Union’s market to be proportionate to existing capacities. This is while the efforts of the country’s exporters have placed Iran among the top countries in this field; nevertheless, increasing the presence of Iranian traders in the markets of member states remains necessary.”

Atabak also announced agreements in the field of standards and said: “It was agreed that, to prevent export stoppages due to standards issues, the country’s prevailing standards and certificates of origin would be used so that the export process continues and exported goods do not face stoppage due to these barriers.”

He emphasized the need to follow up on the agreements made, continuously update the comprehensive atlas of the country’s official foreign trade gateways, and strengthen decision-making mechanisms to remove export barriers.

Drafting of 10 proposals to remove trade barriers and develop value-creating exports / Necessity of compensating for increased transportation costs

The Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, while emphasizing the need to facilitate regulations, compensate for increased transportation costs, and strengthen the presence of Iranian firms in global markets, announced the drafting of 10 proposals aimed at entering the decision-making cycle and facilitating the path of exporters’ activity.

Mohammad Ali Dehghan Dehnavi, at the 30th National Export Day ceremony, emphasized the necessity of supporting exporters, removing domestic barriers, and strengthening the infrastructure for export development.

Dehghan Dehnavi, referring to the position of exporters in the country’s economy, said: “National Export Day is not a day for stating numbers and lists of actions; rather, it is a day to appreciate those who have created and maintained a link between the domestic market and foreign customers.”

He added that exporters did not stop the trade process under the difficult conditions caused by war, sanctions, and economic blockade: “Despite problems in transferring funds, exporters remained committed to their obligations and worked to sustain employment. This resilience demonstrates their decisive role in maintaining the flow of trade and the continuity of the country’s economic activities.”

The Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, referring to the slogan “Dynamic Trade, Value-Creating Exports,” stated: “This year’s slogan cannot be reduced to a mere title; rather, it is a criterion for measuring the performance of actors in the non-oil export field.”

The Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, referring to the importance of transportation routes in the country’s foreign trade, stated: “Seventy-five percent of the country’s foreign trade was conducted via sea, but with the efforts of various agencies, especially the private sector, we were able to redefine alternative routes during this period and continue the trade process.”

Dehghan Dehnavi, emphasizing Iran’s capacities for trade development, added: “The country possesses capabilities, knowledge, skills, and specialized human resources that can be used to increase trade volume and raise it from one billion dollars a week to one billion dollars a day.”

The Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade called exporters the front line of the economic war and stated: “It is our duty to remove the domestic barriers facing exporters and facilitate the path of exporters’ activity.”

Dehghan Dehnavi, referring to the increase in transportation costs under current conditions, considered the allocation of appropriate incentives to be one of the solutions for compensating for the increased costs and said: “We must remove the existing barriers in the path of trade, facilitate regulations, and develop the necessary executive capacities for the effective presence of economic actors in global markets.”

He further stated, emphasizing the preservation of target markets and the achievement of value-creating exports: “Exporters have guaranteed the sustainability of the country’s trade despite numerous pressures. On this path, we must, by strengthening export capacities and focusing on creating added value, provide the ground for a more sustainable presence of Iranian products and services in global markets.”

The Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran also emphasized the necessity of making solution-oriented decisions and announced the drafting of 10 proposals, expressing hope that by placing these proposals in the decision-making cycle, the process of addressing issues and removing barriers to export development would be accelerated.

Dehghan Dehnavi, in conclusion, expressed gratitude for the efforts of economic actors and those involved in the country’s export development.

Iran Chamber president urges unified, programmatic trade strategy to counter external pressure

Speaking at the same ceremony, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) President Samad Hassanzadeh praised exporters for maintaining export flows despite difficult economic and wartime conditions and for resisting enemy intentions. He said protecting exports during the recent critical war conditions was a strategic necessity for employment, foreign-exchange earnings, and Iran’s economic credibility, and commended the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade, the Trade Promotion Organization, and other agencies for pursuing barriers and supporting trade routes.

Hassanzadeh said Iran remains in a “neither war, nor peace” situation marked by uncertainty, economic pressure, trade restrictions, and threats to transport routes. Foreign trade is increasingly affected, and the enemy seeks to weaken Iran’s economic competitiveness by raising transaction costs. The response, he argued, must be a unified message from government officials and the private sector: turn external pressure into a coherent will to keep trade flowing, remove domestic barriers, and neutralize the cost of foreign pressure through rationality, pragmatism, and decisions based on national interests.

He called for moving from day-to-day crisis management to sustainable trade mechanisms and for redefining export’s place in macro-economic policy. This requires coordination among foreign-exchange, industrial, financial, and trade policies and avoiding decisions that raise the cost of Iranian firms’ presence in markets. He proposed a Foreign Trade Continuity Headquarters, with government and private-sector participation, customs, the Central Bank, and other agencies, to draft an operational plan. Priorities included diversifying transport routes, easing customs and border procedures, strengthening trade insurance and risk management, and improving inter-agency coordination.

On forex policy, Hassanzadeh urged aligning currency-repatriation and working-capital mechanisms with trade realities. He called for reviewing restrictive business-card procedures, distinguishing intentional violations from limited and recoverable obligations, giving proportionate time to meet foreign-exchange commitments, and avoiding punitive measures against reputable exporters.

He stressed that preserving traditional markets and developing new ones requires attention to costs, payment terms, tariffs, and freight. Without logical support, Iranian exporters cannot compete with regional and international rivals, and lost markets are not easily regained. He urged making economic diplomacy operational—pursuing tariff and transport agreements, removing customs obstacles, and expanding cooperation with neighbors, with greater coordination between relevant agencies, ICCIMA, and joint chambers.

Finally, Hassanzadeh called for moving from sporadic exports to sustainable market presence through value added, quality, completed production chains, and stronger Iranian brands, while supporting downstream industries, technical and engineering services, knowledge-based products, and service exports. He also urged redefining government–private sector relations based on trust, partnership, and responsibility, and turning private-sector demands into a prioritized, time-bound action plan.

MA

source: tehrantimes.com