TEHRAN -- The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance plans to hold Iran’s first photo expo in Tehran in the current Iranian calendar year (ends March 20, 2007).

“The idea for holding the expo was proposed by a group of Iranian photographers to (deputy culture minister for art) Mohammad-Hossein Imani Khoshkhu and he welcomed the idea and promised to support it,” the expo’s executive manager told the Persian service of CHN on Tuesday.

“The expo will be an effective way to promote photos as artistic products which can be offered for sale, and it will also have a positive effect on the economy of photography,” Mojtaba Aqaii added.

Aqaii has invited a number of photographers to a session next week to determine the date and nature of the expo.

“We will ask photographers from every genre to offer their views on how to arrange this important event,” he explained.

Aqaii is also the secretary of the 10th Tehran Photo Biennial, which will be held in autumn.