TEHRAN — The U.S. visa waiver restrictions would barely affect Iran’s tourism sector, said the deputy director of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicraft Organization of Iran.

“After removal of the sanctions we can rapidly move towards a better condition,” Morteza Rahmani Movahhed said, adding the U.S. suppose that by thwarting tourists from travelling to Iran, the country’s tourism economy would be crippled, the Fars news agency reported.

“However the new law would barely affect Iran’s tourism,” he stated.

Currently 60 percent of the tourists in Iran are pilgrims who would like to visit holy cities and shrines, he noted.

The passage of time will weaken the law, he said.

The CHTHO official highlighted that tourism have increased by 6 percent and during a 9 month period falling on March 21 to December 21, 2015 over four million tourists have paid a visit to Iran.

In December, the U.S. Congress passed a new law seeking to stop citizens of some 38 countries as well as Iran from traveling freely to the U.S. People from those countries used to be able to come to the U.S. without obtaining a visa, but now if they hold dual citizenship from Syria, Iraq, Sudan or Iran or have visited any of those countries over the past five years, they must obtain a visa in advance through the normal processes, including an in-person interview.

MQ/MG