Foreign investment board okays $126m projects in first post-war session
Iran’s Foreign Investment Board approved 35 foreign investment proposals worth $126 million in its first session of the new year that began on March 21, state media reported.
According to Tasnim news agency, citing the public relations office of the Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran, the board held its 304th meeting — and the first of the new year — on Monday.
A total of 38 foreign investment applications across various sectors were reviewed, including renewable energy and solar power plant development, food, pharmaceutical and health industries, housing, petroleum derivatives production, maritime transport, textiles, services and other industrial sectors.
The applications came from multiple countries, including Russia, Canada, Spain, Dominica, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China, as well as Iranians living abroad. Of these, 35 projects were ultimately approved by the board.
The Foreign Investment Board holds monthly meetings at the investment organization, where numerous foreign investment applications are reviewed and approved.
The board held 13 sessions throughout the last Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21, 2025, resulting in the approval of nearly 650 applications from foreign investors, joint companies and Iranian contracting parties, worth $17 billion.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance on March 18, the value of foreign investment projects in Iran’s free trade zones rose by 531% in the first 11 months of the last year, while realized foreign investment grew by 268%.
The ministry said at the time that domestic investment attracted in free zones increased by 125% during the same period, while realized domestic investment rose by 36%. Exports from free zones increased by 14%, and the value of production in these regions grew by 28%.