TEHRAN – Dozens of Iranian brands and foreign embassies set up booths in a huge northeastern Tehran venue Tuesday to mark the opening of a multi-day charity market.

The Diplomatic Women Association of Iran’s Foreign Ministry organized the charity event; its current president, Pari Sadat Araghchi — the foreign minister’s sister — told the Tehran Times that the association, founded in 1996, seeks to strengthen ties with female members of diplomatic missions in Tehran, and that in recent years the charity market has also grown popular with Iranian brands and local shoppers.

"The event received significant attention last year, and the funds collected were used to begin construction on a cancer treatment facility in Tehran, along with opening a school in Sistan and Balouchestan Province. Many other smaller projects were also completed,” Araghchi explained. 

"Diplomatic missions have responded very positively to the charity market. At the same time, we have managed to increase their interactions with ordinary citizens and conduct important charity work,” she added “Many of these projects are launched with the presence of foreign female diplomats or the wives of the ambassadors."

Embassies from numerous countries participated, including China, Nigeria, Palestine, Russia, Tajikistan, Romania, Uzbekistan, Burkina Faso, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, and Thailand.

At the Indian booth, a staff member shared her enthusiasm, noting she had attended as a visitor last year and was determined to ensure India participated this time. "This is a spectacular event. It allows us to connect to really good brands as consumers, and also connect to the Iranian people as exhibitors and introduce our culture,” she explained.

One booth that drew significant attention belonged to Thailand, where the country’s ambassador to Tehran, Pichit Boonsud, was also present. He welcomed Thailand’s involvement, emphasizing that generosity is a core part of Thai culture. "Of course, by bringing our country’s renowned foods and handicrafts, we naturally foster warm exchanges with visitors, but what truly drew us here is our culture of generosity — this is a charity event, and above all we want to support a worthy cause," he said.

I also spoke with Tajikistan’s ambassador to Iran, Nezamoddinn Zahedi, with whom I conversed without needing to switch to English. With a Tajik accent many Iranians find endearing, Ambassador Zahedi expressed his pleasure that, amidst some of the bloodiest global conflicts, diplomats in Tehran had gathered for such a humanitarian and valuable cause. Discussing bilateral relations, he said, "We hope relations between our countries will continue to grow warmer; our deep linguistic, cultural and historical ties make this friendship both meaningful and indispensable."

For the Iranian participants, the event offered significant financial and networking opportunities alongside the charity work (which they supported through booth fees paid to the association). One vendor, the owner of Mahkhatoon, sold dried fruit harvested from her village in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province. She noted that her business had grown immensely over the years and believed the current event would further expand her presence. "I was also a participant here last year. Our profits were really good,” she confirmed.

Outside the venue, which was located on a hill, the sky had cleared following the previous day's dark clouds. Bright sunlight streamed through the building’s tall curtains and seemed to lift the mood inside.