Facilitating Investment for Afghan Nationals in Iran Khorasan Razavi
DID Press: A member of Iran’s Parliamentary Budget and Planning Commission announced that the legal obstacles preventing Afghan nationals from having their investments officially recognized in Khorasan Razavi province are close to being resolved.
Mohsen Zanganeh, speaking on the sidelines of the Government–Private Sector Dialogue Council in Khorasan Razavi, said that after months of follow-up, the legal issues facing Afghan investors are being addressed, and the resolution to officially recognize their investments will soon be published.
He added that over the past two years, more than a thousand Afghan-owned companies and entrepreneurs halted their operations in Iran due to currency-related issues and the refusal of the Trade Promotion Organization to certify their investments. As a result, many moved their businesses to industrial zones in Herat and Kabul.
The main issue, he explained, was that the investors had sourced their capital through money exchange offices, meaning it was not recorded in the NIMA foreign currency system.
Under the new agreement, three certified judiciary experts will evaluate the assets and factories of Afghan investors based on daily exchange rates to determine the official value of their investment. The Trade Promotion Organization will then register them as foreign investors.
After approval by the Minister of Economy and other relevant authorities, the resolution will be submitted to the Investment Council for final ratification.
According to Zanganeh, Afghan investors have promised that if the issue is fully resolved, they will commit up to USD 3 billion in investments in Khorasan Razavi over the next three to four years.
He also pointed out that the presence of 300 active Afghan-run companies in Mashhad demonstrates the significant economic potential of this community.
According to the provincial governor’s office, 396,000 legally registered foreign nationals currently reside in Khorasan Razavi, more than 90% of whom live in Mashhad.
Additionally, in recent months, over one million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned to Afghanistan through the Dogharoon border.
Zanganeh also highlighted the upcoming meeting of the Political Committee of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Mashhad, attended by representatives from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Lebanon, describing it as an opportunity to elevate the city’s international stature and strengthen its economic and diplomatic ties.