Foreign investments in Iran up 45% year on year: Iranian official

TEHRAN,May 5(MNA) – Foreign investments in Iran rose by 45 percent in the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, compared to its preceding year, Iranian deputy finance and economic affairs minister Behrouz Alishiri said on Saturday. The amount of foreign investment in Iran reached its peak in the past [Iranian calendar] year 1391, the Mehr News agency quoted Alishiri as saying. The investment figure has been reported to UNCTAD (the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), he said, adding, “If UNCTAD approves the figure, we will announce it.” Iran has initiated three plans to attract more foreign investment in the current year, Alishiri said. The plans, which will be launched by the next two months, include restructuring the organization for foreign investments, implementing a unified window platform for investments, and offering incentives to investors, he added. Iran needs around $1.3 trillion to materialize objectives of its fifth five-year economic development plan, Alishiri said on Wednesday. To this end, annually $300 billion should be invested, he added. Iran’s fifth five-year economic development plan ends in 2015.