AfricaAsia NorthAsia South and SoutheastAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastAfghanistanBahrainEgyptIranIsraelJordanKuwaitLebanonOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaSyriaTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesNorth AmericaPacific
Start writing the country or territory name in the box. Typing more letters narrows the search. Click "go" or hit "Enter" to go to the information paper on the country or territory.
(We don't have information papers on all countries and territories.)
In the year to June 2007 New Zealand exports to Iran were worth NZ$129.95 million, with butter, milk powder and wool being the major export commodities. Imports in the same period amounted to NZ$49.72 million and consisted mainly of petroleum products (91%) and dates and figs, along with smaller quantities of carpets and grapes. Iran is a growing market for a range of New Zealand products and services, including education, electronics, software systems, geothermal expertise and CNG technology, air traffic control services, agricultural technology and sophisticated construction materials.
A Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) was established in 1985 to discuss and advance trade and economic relations. The last meeting of the JMC (Eighth Session) was in Tehran in April 2002, with New Zealand represented by the Minister for Trade Negotiations.
A Political and Economic Cooperation Commission (PECC) has now replaced the JMC. The PECC offers a framework for the continuation of high-level visits and has a broader scope that better reflects the political and commercial relationship. The inaugural meeting of the PECC took place on in Wellington on 7-9 March 2005. The second meeting was held in Tehran on 8 November 2006. top of page
Land Area - 1,648,000 sq km Population - 70 million (2006 EIU estimates) - Capital City - Tehran - Language - Persian (Farsi) and Persian dialects (58%), Turkic dialects (26%), Kurdish (9%), Luri (2%), Baloch (1%), Arabic (1%), Turkish (1%)
Political system - Presidential and parliamentary Islamic republic - National government - Iran has a dual power structure with a supreme religious leader (valih-e faqih or rahbar) and a president. Ayatollah Khamenei (supreme leader) directs the government under the Islamic constitution based on the late Ayatollah Khomeini's theory of Islamic government. Policy is determined by the President and his appointed Ministers who collectively make up the Cabinet. - National legislature - Majlis-e-Shuray-e Islami (Islamic Consultative Assembly) of 290 members. All candidates for the Majlis must be recommended by recognised political groups and approved by an Islamic screening committee. All Majlis legislation must be approved by the 12-member Council of Guardians (senior jurists who make up the upper chamber), six of whom are appointed by the rahbar (supreme leader) and six by the Majlis. The Expediency Council mediates between the Majlis and the Guardian Council. - Last election - June 2005 (presidential), February 2004 (parliamentary). - Next election due - 2009 (presidential), 2008 (legislative). - Supreme Leader - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, elected by Council of Guardians (senior jurists) in June 1989. - Head of State and Government - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elected by universal suffrage in June 2005. The President is limited to holding two consecutive four-year terms, following the amendment to the constitution in 1989
GDP - US$208.6 billion (2006 EIU estimates) - Real GDP growth - 4.3% (2006 EIU estimates) - Exports - US$61.98 billion (2006 EIU estimates) - Imports - US$45.67 billion (2006 EIU estimates) - Main exports - Oil and gas (59.4%); petrochemicals (2.3%) - (Bank Markazi data, 2004) - Current account balance - US$11.1 billion (2006 EIU estimates) - Inflation - 15.8% (2006 EIU estimates)
NZ Exports (FOB) - NZ$129.95 million (to year ended June 2007) - Main Exports - Butter (54%); Milk powder (16.6%); uncarded wool (9.6%) - NZ Imports (CIF) - NZ$49.21 million (to year ended June 2007) - Main Imports - Petroleum oils , not crude (91%); dates and figs (3.4%); carpets (1%)top of page
Former ICT Minister Hon Paul Swain led an Information and Communications Technology mission to Iran in May 2004. The previous Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hon Phil Goff, visited in December 2002. The Minister for Trade Negotiations, Hon Jim Sutton, visited Iran in 2002 for the JMC. Previous visits by New Zealand Trade Ministers were made in 1996 and 1999. In August 2001, the MFAT Principal Trade Negotiator visited Tehran to conduct a seminar on the requirements for accession to the WTO. In December 2004, Rt Hon Mike Moore, as former Director-General of the WTO, presented two seminars in Tehran on the value of the WTO and the accession process. Recent senior official visits to Iran include MFAT Deputy Secretary Alan Williams in November 2006 for the second session of the Political and Economic Cooperation Commission.
The then-Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, Gholamali Khoshroo, visited New Zealand in August 2003 to discuss disarmament issues. The former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Mohsen Aminzadeh, visited New Zealand in February 2000 and the Minister of Construction Jihad, Mr Saidi Kia, represented Iran at the Seventh Session of the JMC in Wellington in May 2000. The ex-Foreign Minister of Iran, Dr Kamal Kharrazi, visited New Zealand as a guest of the Government in August 2004. He signed a memorandum of understanding inaugurating the Political and Economic Cooperation Commission (PECC) between New Zealand and Iran. A delegation, led by the Head of Iran’s State General Inspection Organisation, Mr Mohammad Niazi, attended the 22nd Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Regional Conference, in Wellington, in February 2005. Mr Aminzadeh led the Iranian delegation to the inaugural meeting of the PECC in March 2005. Aminzadeh’s successor, Dr Mahdi Safari made a bilateral visit to Wellington in June 2007.top of page
The Safetravel website provides a travel advisory for travellers to Iran [external link].
