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IMF High-Level Policy Forum on Sovereign Debt Opens in Kuwait
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched its High-Level Policy Forum in Kuwait on Wednesday, bringing together senior policymakers from ministries of finance and economy, central banks, and debt management offices worldwide. Iran is represented by Rahmatollah Akrami, the country’s Treasurer General, who heads the Iranian delegation.
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Iran, Armenia Eye Eurasian Market Through Economic Cooperation
Iran and Armenia are seeking to deepen economic ties with an eye on the Eurasian market. In a recent meeting in Tehran, Grigor Hakobyan, Armenia’s ambassador to Iran, and Reza Masroor, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Free and Special Economic Zones, discussed ways to expand bilateral trade, investment, and industrial cooperation.
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Iran Introduces Comprehensive Guidelines for Establishing Foreign Investment Promotion Agencies
Iran has announced its first official framework for the establishment, operation, and supervision of foreign investment promotion agencies, aiming to align with global best practices and significantly increase foreign direct investment (FDI).
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Iran’s Foreign Trade Reaches $76.5 Billion in Eight Months: IRICA
The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) has reported that the country’s foreign trade in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (beginning March 21, 2025) exceeded $76.5 billion.
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Iran Turns to Private Agencies to Court Foreign Investment
Iran’s government has unveiled a new framework allowing private agencies to spearhead the attraction of foreign investment, a move officials describe as the first serious attempt to mobilise the private sector in this field. The initiative was announced by Mehdi Heidari, Deputy Minister of Economy.
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Iran’s Economy Ministry Aims to Resolve Petrochemical Financing Issues
This week, Iran’s Ministry of Economy gathered senior officials, bankers, and industry leaders to address a significant challenge: securing funding for 16 unfinished petrochemical and refining projects in the South Pars Special Economic Energy Zone. These projects collectively require an estimated $10 billion in financing.
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Megaproject “Twenty”: A Surge Forward Amid Sanctions
The “Twenty Project” is one of six megaprojects outlined in Iran’s Ministry of Economy’s strategic plan for achieving “inclusive, justice-oriented growth.” Its objective is to finance and implement at least 20 large-scale, foreign currency–earning projects, each designed to deliver a tangible boost to the country’s GDP.
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Iran Issues Official Guidelines for Establishing and Operating Foreign Investment Promotion Agencies
Tehran - November 26, 2025: The Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran has formally issued the Guidelines for the Establishment, Operation, and Oversight of Foreign Investment Promotion Agencies, in line with Article 30 of the Law on Financing Production and Infrastructure.
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Iran Launches 150 Priority Projects to Drive Inclusive Growth
Iran’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance has unveiled 150 priority projects and several cross-sector “megaprojects” within the first 100 days of the current administration, underscoring its central goal of financing production.
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Iran Introduces Measures to Facilitate Foreign Investment
Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, invited foreign investors to enter the Iranian market and outlined new measures designed to ease investment procedures.
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67 Foreign Investment Requests Approved Worth $485 Million
In the ninth meeting of the Foreign Investment Board this year, 67 foreign investment applications with a total value of $485 million were approved.
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National will for FTZs reform gains momentum, says senior official
At a joint meeting between Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance and investors in the Aras Free Trade Zone, Reza Masroor, Secretary of the High Council of Free Trade Zones (FTZs), underscored the need for a unified national will to drive transformative change in the country’s free zones. He outlined progress made in addressing recent challenges and stressed that free zones must play a decisive role in reshaping Iran’s economic trajectory.
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Economy minister vows to scrap restrictive directives to boost FTZs
Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Dr Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, has pledged to abolish restrictive directives and regulations that he says have undermined the spirit of the country’s free trade zone legislation. Speaking on the sidelines of the reopening of the Steel Aras plant, he argued that cumbersome rules had rendered the law “a dead spirit” and must be repealed to restore its intended effect.
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Iran’s economy minister pledges legal stability to attract investors
Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Dr Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, has announced that a comprehensive bill to reform the country’s free trade zone legislation has been finalised and will soon be submitted to parliament. Speaking during a meeting with investors and business leaders in the Aras Free Trade Zone, he said the reforms aim to make the zones “truly free” and position them as engines of national economic growth.
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Minister of Economy engages investors in Aras Free Trade Zone
On Thursday, November 20th, Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Dr. Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, convened with investors and business leaders in the Aras Free Trade Zone (FTZ) during a visit to East Azerbaijan Province.
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Iran and Armenia seek smoother trade flows
Iran and Armenia are stepping up efforts to ease cross-border commerce and expand transit links, underscoring the growing importance of their shared frontier as a gateway to Eurasia.
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Signing of Tax Credit Deal to Boost Vocational Tech Infrastructure
A landmark agreement to facilitate the granting of tax credits aimed at strengthening technological infrastructure in vocational and technical training centers was signed in Tehran.
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Iran looks to digital economy for growth
Iran’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance has placed the digital economy at the centre of its growth strategy. In a meeting with technology entrepreneurs, the minister announced plans to establish a dedicated deregulation board and a monthly council for dialogue between government and the private sector, initiatives unprecedented in Iran’s economic policymaking and inspired by successful international models.
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Iran’s Economy Ministry highlights financing and foreign investment at KishInvex 2025
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance assumed a prominent and pragmatic role at the 12th KishInvex 2025, concentrating on the identification of flagship economic projects, the introduction of innovative financing instruments, and the strengthening of engagement with financial institutions and foreign investors. Its central objective was to diversify financing channels for production enterprises and to reinforce the foundations of sustainable investment.
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Iran’s economy ministry seeks to ease hurdles for foreign investors
Iran’s economy ministry is stepping up efforts to attract foreign capital. At a meeting with more than 70 investors, Mehdi Heidari, acting head of the Organisation for Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance, announced that an international exchange will soon open in Kish Free Zone.
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Iran’s Economy Ministry takes center stage at KishInvex2025
Iran’s Economy Ministry made a conspicuous appearance at the KishInvex2025 economic forum, underscoring the government’s ambition to attract foreign investment and expand international financing channels.
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Iran’s customs chief says trade is getting easier
Faroud Asgari, Deputy Minister of Economy and head of Iran’s Customs Administration (IRICA), stated that the country’s foreign trade environment has improved markedly.
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Iran's FTZs Shift Toward Digital Economy and Next‑Generation Development
At the opening of the“12th International Exhibition of Exchange, Banking, Insurance and Privatization” ('Kish Invex 2025'), Secretary of the Supreme Council of Free Trade-Industrial and Special Economic Zones, Reza Masroor, highlighted the global economic transformations and stressed the need to reassess financial policies and risks.
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Foreign Investors’ Currency Now Tradable in Iran’s “Second Hall” of the Exchange Center
Foreign investors can now trade their currencies directly within Iran’s “Second Hall” at the Currency and Gold Exchange Center, marking a significant step in opening the country’s financial markets to international capital. Approved by the Central Bank and supervised by the Organization for Investment, Economic, and Technical Assistance, this move aims to streamline foreign investment procedures and foster greater liquidity.
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Economy Minister Announces Export Tariff Reforms
Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Dr. Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, has announced plans to revise export tariffs on raw and semi-processed materials to stabilize rates and reduce the frequency of regulatory changes. He added that a program to facilitate the repatriation of foreign currency earned from exports will be issued within the next two weeks.
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Iran Approves Gold Bars as a Recognized Form of Foreign Investment
According to the decision, investors may import standard gold bars through official customs channels, declare them, and then sell them at Iran’s Currency and Gold Exchange Center or the Iran Mercantile Exchange.
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Iran’s Trade with ECO Nations Surges to $27 Billion as Tehran Hosts Ministerial Summit
Iran’s trade balance with member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) has reached $27 billion, up from $10 billion just six years ago, according to Hossein Kashiri, Director General of Loans, Assemblies, and International Institutions at Iran’s Organization for Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance.
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Iran Revives Unfinished Investments on Kish Island
Iran’s economy minister, Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, has announced the reactivation of nearly 110 trillion rials (around $1.5bn) in investment projects on Kish Island, a free-trade zone in the Persian Gulf. The projects, initiated in previous years but left dormant due to regulatory and financial obstacles, are now being brought back into operation.
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Iran’s Economy Minister Sets $10 Billion Investment Target for Each Free Trade Zone
Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Dr. Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, has called on the country’s free trade zone managers to aim high, announcing a bold target of attracting $10 billion in investment per zone over the next three years.
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Iran’s Economy Minister Unveils $100 Billion Investment Plan, Eyes Kish Island as Digital and Aviation Hub
Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Dr. Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, announced that the ministry has identified $100 billion worth of investment projects, with a portion allocated to the country’s free trade zones (FTZs).