Not is almost a week that the US and Iran have exchanged barbs. Iranian boats, planes, and drones don’t leave American ships in the Persian Gulf, diplomats of the two countries announced the protests of US policy and IRAN accuse each other of escalating tensions, which not only wrote in his Twitter Donald trump on Iran, the United States bombed Pro-Iranian units in Syria on the outskirts of Al-Tapu, the us Senate introduces new sanctions against Iran, Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that “America is a country of terrorists and supports terrorists.” This is all used and it is believed that the US and Iran, bitter enemies, torn from 1979, the year diplomatic relations.
But in addition to loud political statements in public and the actions of the military there is a chance that sooner or later will be sought and other relations between the two countries — commercial.
In April of this year after joining Donald trump in the position of the Iranian airline Aseman Airlines signed a preliminary agreement to supply 30 737 aircraft (and 30 more can be purchased separately) from the American Boeing company in the amount of 3.4 billion dollars. The aircraft should begin to arrive in Iran to 2022.
Prior to that, with the lifting of sanctions in December 2016, Boeing has agreed to sell 80 planes IranAir Iranian in the amount of 16.6 billion dollars, in addition to the new orders, Boeing led repair old Iranian aircraft. Deal with Aseman Airlines give 18 thousand jobs to the American company and President of the trump prefers not to publicly discuss the relationship Boeing and the Iranian airlines. Earlier, Iran said that the country needs 500 new civil Airliners. A lot of money at stake.
However, it should be noted that until the plane is delivered (first delivery expected in 2018), and the agreement remains in question, as in the US and in Iran commercial relations between the two countries cause rejection among his own political elite.
In the United States believe that IranAir is used by the Islamic revolutionary guard Corps (IRGC) for the transfer of members of the organization, and Iran are outraged that the Iranian money will go to “feed us mouths”.
However, not once has heard the phrase and in the United States and in Iran that the administration trump is the administration of the business, which gives hope for a stronger trade relations.
In may, the US imposed new sanctions against certain individuals in Iran, and Chinese companies that can contribute to missile programme of Iran, but however, according to the BBC, trump did not renew a number of other temporary sanctions, which required updating.
From 2006 to 2016, the turnover between the US and Iran for a decade to three billion dollars. For comparison, turnover in 1978 to break relations was 6.7 billion dollars. After the lifting of sanctions selling Persian carpets in the United States increased by 8 times, the sale of art — 2 times. In the carpet industry of Iran, by the way, employs about 700 thousand people. In addition to carpets and Antiques to the US to buy Iran caviar.
In turn, the United States supplying Iran with drugs, wheat, rice, soy, corn, dairy products, chocolate, wood, perfumes, and even the seed breeding bulls. All, of course, in miniscule scale.
Iranian market — a potential tasty morsel for American companies. Despite anti-American rhetoric of the Iranian consumer is influenced by the Western way of life. The American company could easily take their market share in luxury perfumes and cosmetics brand of women’s clothing, consumer electronics and computer equipment (Apple products), automobiles, tobacco, fast food and pop music. All this and so large volumes of illegally shipped to Iran or produced in a country or region without a license. American companies waiting in the wings.
However, reaches to ridiculous when Dell caught on that she sold computers to the Iranian Embassy in Germany and France for a few thousand euros and thereby violated the rules of the sanctions.
As for aircraft, from Boeing are not far behind, by the way, and Europeans. Airbus also already supply aircraft to Iran. IranAir has received three aircraft, and in the meantime with France negotiations to supply Iran with 20 turboprop aircraft from ATR.
The results of the visit to Europe in 2016, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has concluded agreements on $ 40 billion. Italian and French companies had to start supplying heavy equipment, oil and gas equipment, to participate in the modernization of Iranian auto factories and the construction of terminals at airports in Tehran and Mashhad. All of 2016, companies from Norway, Austria, Germany and other countries one after another signed an agreement of understanding to work with oil and gas, metallurgy and transport sectors of Iran.
Some of these agreements began to be realized. For example, in may this year, the Italian group Danieli, a leading supplier of equipment for the metallurgical industry in the world, has commissioned the plant Danieli Persia around Tehran, invested $ 40 million.
The main obstacle for the development of economic relations between Iranian and European companies — it’s not a questions of profit or expediency, and the reluctance of banks to conduct transactions at large amounts with Iran. First of all it concerns those European banks, including their activities in the United States. They fear that us authorities will impose fines and penalties, limiting operations and tarnished reputation.
And it’s not an empty threat. For example in 2014, the French Bank BNP Paribas for violations of sanctions was forced to pay 9 billion US dollars and partially lost the right to conduct dollar transactions for a year.
However, the ice was broken in this area. In July, Iran must be excluded from the “blacklist” of an intergovernmental organization to combat money laundering (FATF), and in may, Iran’s Saman Bank opened its office in Italy with the permission of the Italian regulators. This should greatly facilitate doing business between Iran and Europe. For the first quarter of 2017, the trade turnover between Iran and the EU amounted to 5.3 billion euros. And momentum is only growing. If ever Europe will pursue a more independent foreign policy, there is every chance that she quickly normalize its relations with Iran.
