It has been proven that the U.S. cannot achieve its target of driving Iran’s oil exports to zero, but there is no doubt about Trump administration’s maximum pressure strategy toward Iranian economy.

To minimize the sanctions pressure on the national economy, the Islamic Republic has adopted a policy of the least reliance on the oil revenues and to materialize this objective the country is focusing more and more on boosting non-oil exports.

In fact, Iranian economists and also those active in different economic sectors of the country believe that promotion of non-oil exports is the only way to tackle the sanctions.

More non-oil exports not only will provide required foreign currency for the country, but it also will promote domestic production and employment; and it is why Iran has paid special attention to this issue both in its Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021) and outlook plan for the Iranian calendar year of 1404 (March 2025-March 2026), and also in its policies of Resistance Economy.

In the way of promoting non-oil exports, Iran has adopted various approaches and is taking different steps, among them targeting the markets of neighboring countries is the most important one.

Another strategy is active presence in the foreign exhibitions and also holding more international exhibitions inside the country and exclusive exhibitions of Iranian products in the other countries.

Iran’s Five-Year National Development Plan has envisaged an export growth of 21.7 percent and holding exhibitions both inside and outside the country plays some significant role to this end, according to Bahman Hosseinzadeh, the managing director of Iran International Exhibitions Company.

And now, a new approach has been recently focused on mainly by Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) and also Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA). It is setting up trade offices abroad.

During a meeting with the members of Khorasan Razavi Province’s Chamber of Commerce held in the city of Mashhad last week, ICCIMA Head Gholam-Hossein Shafei said the chamber is ready to establish five trade offices in five countries to boost the private sector’s role in the national trade.

The official noted that neighboring countries would be the priority for this program and the first office is to be established in Russia.

“In the wake of Iran's joining to Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the first trade office will be set up in Russia,” Shafei said, adding that the office will be completely supported by the Iranian government.

"Given the successful experience of institutes such as Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in boosting the countries' trade, we proposed the establishment of national trade offices to be able to promote the market for the Iranian goods," the ICCIMA head highlighted.

Also on October 23, the chairman of Iran-Syria Joint Trade Committee said the Iranian trade center in Damascus is going to be opened within the next three months.

“Equipping the trade center is in the final stages and it will be opened in the next three months, maximum,” Keyvan Kashefi announced.