Page 24 - IRANRptFeb21

Iran ‘exporting manufactured nanotechnology products to 50 countries’
those 25 years, to feed an import need that last year reached 10m barrels a day. This is roughly what Saudi Arabia, Iran’s arch-rival, produces.”
Analysts have said that Iran might back away from the deal, or scale down its size, if it can improve its relations with the US and European Union.
Iran is exporting manufactured nanotechnology products to 50 countries, according to the secretary-general of the Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council (INIC), as cited by Mehr News Agency.
Saeed Sarkar reportedly said that there are 300 knowledge-based nanotechnology companies in Iran, which produce 715 products overall. Around 25% of the country's science-based production was accounted for by the nanotechnology segment, he was also quoted as saying.
The INIC has said that 24% of Iran's patents are registered in the field of nanotechnology and that the technical knowledge related to 90% of nanomaterials is available in the country.
Iran, the council added, uses nanotechnology in sectors including health, building construction, aviation, shipping, oil and petrochemicals, textiles, water and the environment, agriculture, and automobiles.
5.1.3​ Gross international reserves
5.2​ FTA, multilateral agreements
Iran’s foreign exchange reserves $85bn in 2020, estimates IMF
According to the IMF in its Regional Economic Outlook on May 4, the value of Iran’s gross official reserves was estimated to reach $108.4bn in 2020.​ The country’s gross official reserves will experience a $13.3bn jump in the current year rising from last year’s $95.1bn.
In an April report, ​the IMF predicted that Iran's foreign exchange reserves would be $85bn in 2020,​ but around 90% of the reserves are frozen abroad by sanctions.
Armenia, Iran sign deal to enhance trade cooperation
Iran and Armenia on January 23 signed a deal to enhance trade cooperation, Tasnim News Agency has reported.
The agreement was reportedly signed by Iran’s Industry Minister Alireza Razm Hosseini and Armenia’s Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan. Tasnim did not provide any specific details of what the deal covers.
Angered by Turkey’s role in supporting Azerbaijan in last autumn’s Nagorno-Karabakh war, Armenia is in the process of attempting to replace around 2,000 supermarket items sourced from Turkey with Iranian alternatives.
Hosseini was quoted as saying the agreement would boost commercial exchanges between the neighbouring countries, as pointing to mining, foodstuffs and home appliances as good areas for Iranian-Armenian cooperation and as noting that annual Iranian exports to Armenia stand at around $300mn.
"Armenia is a Eurasian country and we have a positive attitude towards trade with Eurasia," Hosseini was also reported as stating, stressing the need for continued negotiations to allow Iran to join the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), with which Tehran presently has a temporary two-year preferential trade deal (PTA). Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan and Belarus are the EEU members. Uzbekistan has observer status.
24​ IRAN Country Report February 2021 www.intellinews.com