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Indo-Iran Relations

Iran

Addresses/Contact details of Indian Missions/Consulates

Embassy of India
46, Mir-Emad Street, Corner of 9th Street
Motahari Avenue, Tehran. P.O. Box No. 15875-4118
Telephone: 00-98-21-8875 5103-5
Fax: 00-98-21-8875 5973
E-mail: indemteh@dpimail.net

Consulates in Iran

Consulate of India, Bandar Abbas
(Shri P.B. Baral, Consul)
+98-761-6661745 (Office)
+98-761-6668219 (Res.)
+98-761-6664512 (Fax)
No. 43, Khiyaban-e-Hikmat, Gulshahr (South), Bandar Abbas.

Consulate of India, Zahidan
(Shri A.K. Vaid, Consul)
+98-541-3221 727 (Off.)
+98-541-3222337 (Off)
+98-541-2412173 (Res)
Behind Gurudwara, Aya: Kaffemi Ave., Zahidan

BASIC FACTS ABOUT COUNTRY

Name and capital: Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran

Population: 68.6 mn (March 20, 2006)

Urban population: 45.9 million

Density: 41.6 per square km

Official Unemployment rate: 12.1 per cent

Foreign Exchange Reserves: US$13.57 billion

Iran’s exports: US$60.01 bn (Central Bank of Iran-June 2006)

Iran’s impors: US$40.96 bn ( -do-)

Exports (oil and gas): US$ 48.82 bn (-do-)

Exports (non-oil): US$11.18 bn

Currency/Exchange rate : Rial; IR 9100 = US $ 1 (2006)

Languages spoken: Farsi (Persian)

Time: GMT + 3 1/2 hours

Name of Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei

Name of HOG / HOS: President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad

First Vice President: Parviz Davoudi

Foreign Minister: Manouchehr Mottaki

Defence Minister: Mostafa Mohammad Najjar

Minister for Economy and Finance: Davoud Danesh-Ja'fari

Commerce Minister: Masoud Mir-Kazemi

Industry Minister: Ali-Reza Tahmasbi

Official Website Links:

President’s Office - http://www.president.ir

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - http://mfa.gov.ir

Name, address and contact details of country’s central bank:

Central Bank of Iran, Mir-damad Street, Tehran

Membership of major multilateral and regional organizations

Iran is a founding member of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), formed in 1984 along with Pakistan and Turkey, which later expanded into a 10- member regional conglomeration in 1992-93. Current members of ECO are Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, five CAS countries i.e. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. Besides, Iran is a prominent member of D-8 Islamic States (Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Egypt & Bangladesh). Apart from these two, Iran is also a member of CCC, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, IDA, IDB, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERSAT, IPU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UNIDO and WHO. Iran also has ‘Observer’ status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Economy:

Iran’s economy is heavily dependent on oil revenues. Though oil sector’s share of GDP has declined from 30-40% in 1970s to 18.6% during 2003-2004, the oil exports accounted for over 83% of the Country’s total export revenue and 40-50% of the Government budget. This has left Iran vulnerable to vagaries of oil price. The economy was hit hard by the plunge in oil prices in 1997-1998 and early 1999 but has since recovered with the rebound in oil prices. To prevent recurrence of instability caused by fluctuations in oil revenue, Iran has set up an Oil Stabilization Fund into which flows oil revenues exceeding the budgeted amount. Foreign investments except in the hydrocarbons and mining sectors are negligible. Overall economic activity during the last four successive years has been strong with real GDP growing by 4.8% (2001-2002), 5.8 % (2002-2003), 6.7% (2003-2004) and 6.8% (2004-5). The share of different sectors in GDP is as follows: -

Agriculture:-Though Iran is classified as “Arid zone”, agriculture sector is an important component of its economy. Iran ranks first in the world in production of pistachios, dates, saffron and cherry. Iran is also among top 10 producers of apple, citrus fruits, almonds, walnuts, hazelnut, fig, apricot, tea and kiwi. Iran imports rice and sugar to meet its domestic requirement.

Industries:- The main industries in Iran are automobile/accessories, metal, home appliances, food processing, mining, petrochemical, leather goods and handicraft/carpets.

Banking and Finance:- Iran’s banking system comprises 12 State owned banks including 10 commercial banks and 4 specialized banking institutions. The specialized banks serve the needs of specific sectors such as Export Development Bank, Agricultural Bank, Housing Bank and the Bank of Industry and Mines which are fully responsible for financing development projects in their given areas. Bank Markazi (Central Bank of Iran) formulates and implements monetary policy in accordance with the Government’s financial objectives. The CBI has given permission for opening private banks for the first time since Iranian Revolution in 1979, which has led to opening of three banks viz. Eqtesade-e-Novin, Karafarin and Parsian Banks.

Capital Flow/Foreign Debt:- Improved External Obligation Management has led the debt stock to fall and its downward trend continues. Total repayment obligations (interest and principal) have also eased the situation compared to previous years. Iran’s total foreign debts were US$ 15.7 billion in March 2005.

Transport:- The public sector operates major national transportation systems, including railways, airlines, shipping and tourism sectors.

i) Roads : The main transit roads have a north-westerly, south-easterly or north-southerly directions,

joining the Iran-Turkish borders to those of Iran- Pakistan and Iran-CAS and to the interior areas of the country.

ii) Railways: The Islamic Republic of Iran’s railroad, with a history of 60 years, is one of the sub-institutions of the Road and Transportation Ministry. The railroad network is connected in the west via Razi border to West Asia and European railroads, and in the North-East, from Sarakhs, to Turkmenistan, the Central Asian railroad and China.

iii) Ports & Shipping: Iran’s main fourteen ports have a total of ninety jetties. Total coastline extends to 2700 km, of which 700 km along the Caspian Sea and 2,000 km along the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. The commercial ports are Imam Khomeini, Bandar Abbas (Shahid Bahonar & Shahid Rajaee), Bushehr, Chahbahar, Anzali and Noshahr. Major shipping lines:

iv) Aviation:- Iran has three major international airports at Tehran, Bandar Abbas and Mashhad. In addition, at Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Qeshm & Kish Free Trade Zones. A new international airport “Imam Khomeini International Airport” in Tehran was commissioned in May 2005.

Free Trade Zones:- Three Free Trade Zones (FTZ) (Qeshm, Kish and Chabahar), operational since 1989, were designed to boost foreign investment in the economy. The facilities associated with these FTZs include 100% ownership of capital (excluding land) free repatriation of profit, 15 year tax holiday and relaxed visa restrictions etc. The zones, however, have failed to attract substantial foreign interest. In view to attract foreign investment, Iran has also set up Special Economic Zones.

Tourism
In December 2004, Iran’s Culture and Heritage Organisation, which is responsible for issuing tourist visas in Iran, announced that Mashhad, Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan and Shiraz airport would be pilot airport to issue seven-day transit cum tourist visa to foreign travelers at the airport.

Foreign Trade : Following are the figures of Iranian foreign trade: -

                                            EXPORTS                                        IMPORTS
                               (in billion dollars)                          (in billion dollars)

 (Source: Central Bank of Iran)

Foreign Investment:
Iran has been striving to attract foreign investment and passed the Law on Attraction and Protection of Foreign Investment on July 2002. Over the past ten years, US$ 3.7 billion have been directly invested in Iran.

Major Unviersities/Scientific Institutions:
Amir Kabir University of Technology: http://www.aku.ac.ir/

Institute of Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (Zanzan): http://www.iasbs.ac.ir/

Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics & Mathematics : http://aria.nic.ir/

Iran University of Science & Technology: http://www.iust.ac.ir/

Iran University of Medical Sciences: http://www.iums.ac.ir

Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology: http://www.irost.com

Isfahan University of Technology: http://www.iut.ac.ir/

Islamic Azad University Region One: http://www.iauro.ac.ir/

Shahid Beheshti University: http://www.sbu.ac.ir/

South Tehran Open University: http://www.azad.ac.ir/

Tarbiat Modarres University: http://www.modares.ac.ir/

Tehran University: http://www.ut.ac.ir/

Tehran University, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Eng: http://khorshid.ece.ut.ac.ir/

Tehran University of Biochemistry and Biophysics: http://ibb.ut.ac.ir/

Tehran University-Faculty of Science: http://www.fos.ut.ac.ir/

Geological Survey of Iran: http://www.gsi-iran.org/

Important Think Tanks on Foreign Policy related issues:
          · Institute for Political and International Studies
            Department of Research & Educatin
            Ministry of Foreign Affairs

            www.dre-mfa.gov.ir/eng/ipis/about.htm!

          · Centre for Strategic research of the Expediency Council (CSR),
               Tehran

            www.csr.ir

          · Centre for Middle East Strategic Studies, Tehran
            www.middleeast-iran.com

          · International Institute for Caspian Studies
            www.caspianstudies.com

          · International Centre for Dialogue Among Civilizations
            Affiliated to the Office of the President
            www.dialoguecentre.org

          ·  Tehran International Studies & Research Institute
                Non-governmental institute www.tisri.org

Major art forms/cultural traditions and venues/museums
              a)  Calligraphy, paintings, music, theater and cinema, pottery and carpet making.
           b)  Vahdat Hall
           c)  Niyavaran Cultural Complex
           d)  Azadi Cultural Complex, Tehran
           e)  Contemporary Arts Museum, Tehran
           f)   Carpet Museum of Iran
           g)  National Jewels Museum of Iran, Tehran
           h)  Glassware and Ceramics Museum of Iran, Tehran
            i)  Decorative Arts Museum, Esfahan

Major Tourist attractions: Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz, Persepolis, Hamadan, Yazd, Tabriz and Mashad.

Major Newspapers/Magazines/TV Channels with contact details

Farsi newspapers                  Telephone                           Fax
Jomhuri Islami                      7764442-9                   77644418

Kayhan                               33110251-9,                33114228

Abrar                                 88700804                     88700837

Iran                                   88761720-2                  88761254

Ettelaat                              29999                         22258022

Resalat                               88910806-10                88900587

Hamshahri                           22059386-90                22046064

Jam-e-Jam                          22222511                     22226252

Etemad                               22868418                     22862265

Sharq                                 22038024-33                 22034515

Hambastagi                          88955540                     88976098

Aftab                                  66495832-3                  66495835

Mardomsalari                        66487773-4                  66414460

Sarmayeh                            88304983                     88309908

English newspapers

Kayhan International              33911561                   33114228

Tehran Times                       88800789                    88808214

Iran Daily                             88755761-2                88761869

Iran News                            88880231                   88786475

Iranian TV & Radio:
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) : www.irib.com

Email: ENGLISHRADIO@IRIB.COM

II. INDIA-IRAN RELATIONS

India and Iran share centuries of close cultural & civilizational affinities. The two neighbouring civilizations (from the times of the Achaemenian, Sassanian, Maurya and Gupta empires) have influenced each other in the fields of culture, art, architecture and language. There was strong influence of Buddhism on the east Iranian region in those times. The interaction grew closer during the Mughal times. The Persian language became the language of the Indian elite. A new language Urdu with a strong Persian influence developed in northern India. Sufism evolved as a result of spiritual interaction between India and Iran. Taj Mahal is sometimes referred to as the “soul of Iran incarnate in the body of India”. Close links between the two countries have continued over contemporary times.

Political Relations:

The close and friendly relations existing between India and Iran gained further momentum in recent years by the high level visits at the political level.

Important Bilateral Treaties and Agreements, with brief notes
Institutional cooperation exists in the form of a Joint Commission headed at Foreign Minister’s level. 14 meetings have so far been held, the last being in New Delhi in February 2005. Four rounds of Strategic Dialogue at the level of Foreign
Secretary/Deputy Foreign Ministers have been held since October 2001 in New Delhi and Tehran (last being in New Delhi in May 2005). There are several bilateral Joint Working Groups (JWG) on issues such as hydrocarbon, commerce, transportation, agriculture, rural development, industries, culture, technology, consular affairs, drugs trafficking, power, telecommunications etc. FICCI and the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines (ICCIM) have set up a Joint Business Council. A Parliamentary Friendship group has also been active.

Bilateral visits – Brief details of important two-way visits.

Prime Minister Narasimha Rao paid a landmark visit in September 1993, as the first Indian PM to visit Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Iranian President Rafsanjani paid a return visit in 1995. PM Vajpayee’s visit to Iran in April 2001 was a landmark visit, which helped in fostering closer bilateral relations. The two sides signed a historic Tehran Declaration during the visit. President Khatami visited India (Delhi and Hyderabad) from 24-28 January 2003. He attended Republic Day 2003 as the Chief Guest. Eight agreements including the Delhi Declaration and a MoU on a Road Map to Strategic Cooperation were signed during the visit. 

Other High Level Exchanges

From India

From Iran

COMMERCIAL COOPERATION

Statistical representation of bilateral trade 

INDIA - IRAN TRADE*

* Source: DGCIS, Calcutta

Summary of current total trade statistics vis-à-vis oil trade

India-Iran commercial relations are dominated by Indian import of Iranian crude oil {US$ 2.47 billion (32%) in 2004-05}. The total volume of annual bilateral trade was US$4.13 billion in 2004-05 registering 30% growth over previous year.

India’s exports

2004-2005

v     Total exports amounted to US$1.24 bn, an increase of 26% over previous  year’s figure of US$0.92 bn.

v     India’s share in Iran’s global imports stood at 4%.

v     Important Indian exports included Petroleum products, Rice, iron and steel, iron ores and concentrates, aluminum ores and concentrates, machinery and instruments, drugs and pharmaceuticals, organic/ inorganic chemicals, manufactured rubber products (except footwear), metal products, processed minerals, iron/steel bars/rods. Sugar, spices, processed fruits and juices, shellac, machine tools, jute hessian, paints/enamels/varnishes, glass ceramic, dyes and dyes intermediates, transport equipment, paper/wood products had shown substantial growth.

India’s imports
2004-2005

v     US $ 2.88 billion vis-à-vis US $ 1.9 billion in 2003-04  

v     increase of 34%  

v     increase in  crude (32%) and non-oil (34%) imports.

v     Imports include crude oil, fruits and nuts, pulses, non-ferrous metals, organic and inorganic chemicals, sulphur metalifers ores, Synthetic & Reclaimed rubber, raw wool, other crude minerals, fertilizers, spices, metal scrap, iron and steel and leather etc.

S&T Relations, cooperation in other fields such as Railways, Space, IT, Biotechnology, Infrastructure, Mining

S&T Cooperation:- A joint agreement on S&T cooperation was signed during President Khatami’s visit and the bilateral Joint Committee on S&T cooperation met to finalise a programme of cooperation in October 2003. This focuses on IT, Biotechnology and Technology Management. India has offered to set up an IT park
in Iran.

ITEC Assistance and programmes: - 10 slots are allotted every year under ITEC.

TCS Colombo Plan: - 15 slots are provided every year under TCS Colombo Plan.

GCSS:- Under the General Cultural Scholarship scheme of ICCR, Government of India provides 8 scholarships to meritorious Iranian nationals who want to pursue higher education in India.

SFS: -Under the Self-Financing Scheme of the Ministry of External Affairs, admission is provided to the Iranian students who want to pursue medical/BDS and various engineering courses in India at their own expenses.

Details of Indian Credit Lines/Official Assistance
An agreement for the utilization of the credit line of USD 200 million to Iran for infrastructure projects announced during PM’s visit in 2001 was signed in January 2003 during President Khatami’s visit.

Cultural Troupes – Incoming & Outgoing
A seven-member Qawwali group sponsored by ICCR gave much appreciated performances at Tehran and Isfahan on April 13-14, 2004 respectively. A 10- member Indian percussion group, led by Keshab Chaudhury, visited Iran from June 6-11, 2004 and conducted concerts in the cities of Tehran and Zahedan. On August 15, 2004 a three-member kathakali team presented lecture demonstration in Tehran. On August 16, India's and Iran's Department of Posts released a set of two commemorative stamps to mark another milestone in India-Iran relations. The postal stamps portray Iranian literature luminary Hafiz and Indian poet Kabir.

Important streets, public places named after Indian leaders
An important street is named after Mahatma Gandhi in Tehran; there is also a Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Square in Shiraz.

Types of visas issued, and visa details for officials, students, business people, tourists etc from India
Short-term single entry visas are normally issued for pilgrimage, business, etc. Single & double entry visas are issued to tourists and student visas issued to students.

Air links with India/convenient travel routes.
There are no Indian national carriers flying to Iran. Mahan Air, a private airline in Iran, operates three flights per week to Delhi and Iran Air flies twice weekly to Mumbai.

Indian Banks
A representative of State Bank of India is stationed at Tehran.

Link to Embassy website: http://www.embassyofindia-tehran.com

Estimated NRI/PIO population: About 300 families mainly located at Tehran and Zahedan

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