TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Asia-Pacific affairs said on Saturday that it is necessary that the government make “comprehensive planning” in order to use the opportunity created after the implementation of the nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA.

“Trial and error” is essential to take decision about cooperation with the other countries based on the country’s needs, Ebrahim Rahimpour said.

He also said that Iran’s membership to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has not been approved by the parliament yet and the process will be finalized once it is ratified.

Joining the ASEAN will benefit the country economically, he added.

Rahimpour was accompanying President Hassan Rouhani in his trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

According to Wikipedia, the ASEAN is a regional organization comprising ten Southeast Asian states which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic integration amongst its members. Since its formation on August 8, 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, the organization’s membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. Its principal aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members.

NA/PA