TEHRAN (Iran News) –Spokesman of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade says as long as French carmakers do not pay damages for leaving Iran market due to sanctions, they will be unable to re-enter Iran’s market.

Speaking to IRNA, Omid Qalibaf said that departure of French companies from Iran’s auto industry after the reimposition of the U.S. sanctions against Tehran cost dear for Iran’s automakers and auto part makers, and heavy investment in those sectors remained useless.

He went on to say that the process for imports of cars is underway and the applicant companies have submitted their requests and one of them is on the verge of signing contract and it is expected soon the first batch of cars would enter the country in compliance with the approved conditions.

Qalibaf went on to say that one thing which is definite is that French cars currently are not allowed to enter Iran’s market because French companies like Renault and Peugeot have no good records during the sanctions era and despite defining some joint projects, they left Iran very easily.

He added that before the imposition of the cruel U.S. sanctions, French companies had defined a joint project with Iran’s SAIPA Company via Pars Khodro Company and a project with IRAN KHODRO Company via IKAP Company but they left Iranian carmakers in the middle of the road and they inflicted heavy damages on Iran’s car industry.

Qalibaf reiterated that as long as the French companies do not compensate the losses, they will have no major share of Iran’s market and import of any car from France is forbidden. He added that this ban does not include countries like South Korea and Japan because they had not defined any joint projects with Iranian industrialists.

He concluded that the ministry has done its job on imports of cars and it will resolve any problems ahead of the importers.

Meanwhile a member of board of directors of Iran-France Joint Chamber Commerce told ILNA that French carmakers are waiting for the outcome of the JCPOA and FATF and if these issues are resolved, they will definitely return to Iran market and if Iran remains on the FATF blacklist, they will not come because there will be no chance for banking transactions with the French as they do not work with forex shops and they are waiting for what will happen in the international scenes.

Mohammad Reza Najafi Manesh also reacted to the ban slapped by the ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade on imports of French cars and said that during the sanctions era, there was no possibility for import of final car product to Iran but the French can return to Iran and produce their cars in Iran like what they used to do for production of Thunder 90 car in the past.

He reiterated that the ministry has said that if the French are eager to return to Iran market, they should produce their cars in Iran.

He added that if foreign carmakers are encouraged to invest in Iran market and they produce their cars in Iran, then it will undoubtedly help Iran’s economy.