BRUSSELS (IRNA) -- Italy remains the top trading partner of Iran in the European Union followed by Germany, France and the Netherlands according to the figures for the first ten months of 2006 released by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office.

Trade exchanges between Rome and Tehran for January-October 2006 totaled €4.80 billion. Germany (€3.65 billion), France (€3.59 billion) and the Netherlands (€3.07 billion) followed Italy in the value of trade with Iran in the ten-month period.

In 2005, the Italy-Iran trade hit €5.20 billion, while Germany, France and Holland exchanged €4.78 billion, €4.16 billion and €2.98 billion of goods and services with Iran, respectively, in the same period.