TEHRAN – An economic delegation from Iran is scheduled to travel to the U.S. in autumn, said Mohammad-Reza Sabzalipour, the chairman of the Iran World Trade Center.

Several economic delegations from Iran have traveled to the U.S. over the past years, and vice versa, he added.

“Paving the way for economic ties with the U.S. is not impossible. However, we should thaw the ice of relations between the two countries to give a boost to bilateral transactions,” Sabzalipour said.

The important issue is that trade offices of the two countries will be reopened at last, he noted.
On May 23, the chairman of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture, Gholamreza Shafei, said the Iranian government has given the green light to private business owners to forge trade ties with their U.S. counterparts.   

He said the government had “advised” for initial connection between the two countries’ private sectors before formal trade links could take shape.   

“Unofficial connections could pave the way for establishment of joint chambers of commerce between Iran and the U.S.,” the official stated. 
The U.S. exported over $112.3 million worth of products to Iran during the first five months of 2015, a 60 percent rise from $70.3 million in the same period of time in 2014, according to the latest report released by the U.S. Commerce Department.  
The U.S. had no imports from Iran during January-May 2015.  

The Iran-U.S. trade totaled $182.1 million in 2014, with one hundred percent of the sum related to U.S. exports to Iran. 

The value of trade between Iran and the U.S. dropped 42 percent in 2014 from 2013.