Int’l Shipping Lines Ready to Return to Iranian Ports

“Given the positive international atmosphere following the Geneva (nuclear) deal, and the activation of Shaheed Rajaie Port’s 2nd Operator, a number of foreign shipping lines have announced their interest in resuming traffic to (and from) the port,” Estiri said on Sunday.

He said that the Port and Maritime Organization has already conducted negotiations with these companies.

Estiri, however, said the exact time for the resumption of the coopreation has not been specified yet, adding that the PMO is now preparing the conditions for hosting these vessels.

Also today, an Iranian deputy minister of road and urban development said that the transportation of cargo ships to the country’s southern ports has been reinvigorated following some relief on western sanctions that had targeted Iran’s shipping industry.

During a visit to Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Sunday, Mohammad Saeednejad announced that the implementation of the landmark Geneva nuclear deal has lifted part of the trade restrictions imposed by the West on Iran’s shipping industry.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as P5+1 or E3+3) on November 24, 2013, signed a six-month deal on Tehran’s nuclear program in the Swiss city of Geneva after several rounds of tight negotiations.

Based on the interim deal, which has taken effect since January 20, the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran's decision to suspend its 20% enrichment for a period of six months.

Such relief includes suspension of some restrictions on trade in gold, precious metals and petrochemicals, and in the auto industry. The deal allows third-country purchases of Iranian oil to remain at current levels. Some $4.2 billion in oil revenues would be allowed to be transferred to Iran.

However, US and European Union (EU) sanctions that have slashed Iran's oil exports from 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) to around 1 million bpd remain in place and Washington has said that it will not allow exports to rise above current levels.