Afshar Fath-Ullahi, CEO of Qeshm Island Free Zone Organization, discussed the numerous economic and tourism capacities of Qeshm Island in the meeting with Kazutoshi Aikawa, the Japanese ambassador to Tehran.

The Japanese diplomat welcomed the development of cooperation with Iran by describing the characteristics of Qeshm as distinctive.

The beautiful Island of Qeshm overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and serves as the inlet to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

This island, which is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, is one of the most strategic islands due to its proximity to the Indian Ocean, the presence of oil and gas resources, petrochemical and refinery units and offshore equipment, and having port facilities for large ships (in the Panamax category) is one of the most strategic islands in Iran and the Persian Gulf.

The natural and historical features of this island have also made Qeshm one of the main tourist destinations in Iran.

Due to its location in a key point of the North-South transit corridor, having access to the East-West international flight corridor, and its port facilities, which is in a way considered as complement Shahid Rajaei Port, this area plays a prominent role in global trade and commerce.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) He made the comment in a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua in Qeshm.

Fathollahi said that Qeshm Island has a special geopolitical position and possesses various economic capabilities, which make it a good place for investment by foreign companies including Chinese firms.

The official referred to the opening of the Chinese consulate general in Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormuzgan Province where Qeshm Island is located.

He said that the opening of the diplomatic mission helps bring economic benefits for Hormuzgan as well as Qeshm, with the island being capable of hosting an independent office to offer services to Chinese investors as it can apply regulations exclusive to free zones.

He noted that currently China is the only country which has signed a 25-year agreement for cooperation and this shows the special view of the system to this country which has been emphasized by the Supreme Leader.

The ambassador, on his part, said that the Chinese Embassy will put on its agenda plans to increase economic cooperation between the two countries.

He also said that China condemns Western sanctions against Iran, stressing that Tehran-Beijing relations will continue regardless of the fate of the negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He then pointed to the 25-year agreement on cooperation between Iran and China as well as sisterhood MoU which has been signed between Qeshm Island and Guangzhou of China which is aimed at broadening economic cooperation between the two states.

Chang reiterated that China is determined to pursue this seriously and China’s Embassy in Tehran pursues implementation of agreements and it is expected after the COVID pandemic in China slows down, the condition is provided for the meeting of manager of Qeshm Free Zone Organization with his Chinese counterpart.

He also reiterated that China condemns the U.S. and West’s sanctions against Iran and emphasized that the ties between Iran and China will continue regardless of the fate of the JCPOA talks and expressed hope the condition is facilitated for the presence of Chinese investors and companies on Qeshm Island.

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On Friday, Raisi opened the Qeshm Heavy Oil Refinery on the second day of his provincial tour to the southern Hormozgan region.

It is said the refinery had been working on a pilot basis and using a half of its refining capacity in recent years, adding that the facility has now reached its full capacity for processing 70,000 barrels per day of crude.

Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji said during a visit to the refinery on Thursday that the facility will fed on super heavy oil from Soroush and Nowruz oilfields in the Persian Gulf.

Owji said private owners of the Qeshm Refinery had provided around $220 million in investment for construction of the refinery and for the supply of machinery and equipment to the facility.

He said the refinery could reach a refining capacity of 100,000 barrels per day within the next three years.

Qeshm in one of the world’s largest islands that is located in the Persian Gulf just few kilometers off the southern Iranian coast.

The area is one of major special economic zones of Iran where regulations are more lax compared to the mainland to encourage more investment in trade and manufacturing activities in the region.

On Friday Raisi said efforts to neutralize U.S. sanctions against his country are not tied to Vienna negotiations with the P4+1 group of countries, stressing that his administration is not putting all its eggs in one basket when it comes to dealing with U.S. sanctions and rendering them ineffective.

“Although the pursuit of removing sanctions is a serious agenda of the government, the effort in the thirteenth government to neutralize the sanctions has not been dependent on negotiations, so that today and under the sanctions situation, our oil sales have increased so much that we no longer worry and the proceeds are also returning to the country,” Raeisi wrote in a tweet on Friday morning.

Diplomats from Iran and the other remaining parties to the 2015 Iran agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are engaged in the eighth round of diplomatic negotiations in Austria’s capital to bring the US back into the deal.

Earlier on Thursday and speaking during his fourteenth provincial trip in Hormozgan province, President Raisi said Iran’s oil export has increased by 40% and the revenues from oil exports return to the country.

On his fourteenth provincial trip, Raisi arrived at Bandar Abbas Airport, Hormozgan Province, southern Iran on Thursday morning and was welcomed by the representative of the Supreme Leader in the province, the governor-general and local officials.

Visiting the projects of the province, meeting with different groups of the people, elites, veterans and families of martyrs, participating in the meeting of the Administrative Council and a press conference will be the most important programs of the President’s visit to Hormozgan province.

Upon his arrival at the airport of Bandar Abbas, Raisi said, “Agriculture, tourism and the maritime economy have very good fields and capacities for development, and despite these capacities, we should not see some shortcomings, poverty and unemployment in the province.”

Stating that there is a high level of security in the province, which has led to good security in the Persian Gulf, he said, “I feel obliged to thank the armed forces of the province for providing good security in the sea and sky of Hormozgan and the Persian Gulf with their conscious and insightful presence.”

“In the light of the existing security in Hormozgan, any kind of investment in the province can be guaranteed and by relying on these investments, efforts can be made to develop Hormozgan,” he added.

“The 13th government has made good plans for the development of Hormozgan in various fields so that it can take effective steps in this regard and make people and economic actors feel that effective steps are being taken in this direction,” he said.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday opened 58 development projects in northwest, south, center and east of the country.

The projects were inaugurated through a video conference due to the pandemic which has created headaches for holding various events and meetings worldwide.

The development projects with 437-million-euro investment are in Aras Free Zone (northwest), Kish and Qeshm Islands (south), Payam International Airport (north), Shiraz in Fars Province (south), Sarakhs in Khorasan Razavi Province (east) and Yazd (center).

After inauguration of those projects, 4,413 direct job opportunities will be created.

Sarakhs special economic zone enjoying good strategic and geographical situation has attracted attention of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member-states.

This economic zone is a golden gate to enter Central Asian countries, China and Russia.

It is also a trade bridge between Central Asian markets and Persian Gulf littoral states, Europe, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

President inaugurated two production and industrial units in the “Special Economic Zone and Payam International Airport” in Alborz Province via videoconferencing.

Inauguration ceremony National Development projects in Iran’s Special Economic Zones all across Iran via videoconferencing was underway with President Rouhani in attendance.

The Managing Director of “Payam International Special Economic Zone and Airport” on Wednesday said: “These production and industrial units have been prepared to be set up with an investment of more than seven thousand billion Rials and employment of 722 people.”

During inauguration of some projects in free trade zones, Secretary of Iranian Free Zones High Council Morteza Bank said that according to the developmental policies in the free zones, since January till the end of the Prudence and Hope Government’s term in July 2021, some 598 construction and developmental projects with an investment worth 55,000b tomans ($3.4b euros) and creating 102,000 jobs will come on stream.

Bank who was speaking in the videoconference on the occasion of inaugurating the projects said that today 58 economic projects worth 4,800b tomans (some 438m euros and $4.4m) were inaugurated in the free zones of the country which created 4400 direct jobs whose major source of investment and finance has been provided by the private sectors in free zones of Aras, Qeshm and Kish and special economic zones of Sarakhs, Payam, Shiraz, Kaveh and Yazd which were inaugurated simultaneously by the president.

He further said 12 projects out of those projects are carried out in Aras Free Zone, 11 projects in Kish Free Zone, 14 projects in Qeshm Free Zone, 21 projects in special economic zones of Payam, Sarakhs, Shiraz, Kaveh and Yazd, respectively.

Mr Bank noted that all these projects have been carried out and come on stream due to supports of private sector and investors in order to develop production, trade and exports in line with resistance economy policy of the country.

He then delved into details of the projects inaugurated on Thursday by President Rouhani, saying that Sarakhs Special Economic Zone is the gateway for Iran’s economic exchanges with the Central Asian countries. He reiterate the project of linking Chabahar-Sarakhs railways and the transit roads of these two towns is in the works which is of the main levers of developing eastern part of the country.

Mr Bank also said that job creation in Payam Special Economic Zone has been quintupled and attracting investment has been twentyfold.

Earlier President Rouhani ordered the opening of new oil export terminal with relatively large storage and bunkering facilities near the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

The terminal opened in Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz off the Iranian southern coast, would significantly boost Iran’s capacity for export while increasing the capacity for ship bunkering in the region.

“Today an important zone for exports of oil products was opened in Qeshm where ships will be able to dock for bunkering,” said Rouhani of the the Deyrestan oil terminal while using a video conference call to open the facility.

A report on the website of Qeshm Free Economic Zone said that the Qeshm Oil Investment Company had spent some $150 million euros to launch the oil terminal.

The report said the facility would have a final storage capacity of 6.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and condensates once the second and final phase of the project is launched in early 2021.

Deyrestan currently has six storage tanks which are linked to a nearby refinery via a 22-kilometer pipeline, it said.

Meanwhile Rouhani opened the new oil export terminal during a ceremony to launch dozens of construction and development projects in the Iranian special economic zones (SEZ).

His office said the 58 projects opened in eight SEZs across Iran on Thursday had cost more than $650 million, including finances provided by private investors.

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Called Darreh-ye Tandis-ha (“Valley of Statues”), it is a remnant of a high plateau that has been once connected to the “Roof” of Qeshm. The valley is part of those areas which have been once underneath the water, and when pulled up, it has been heavily eroded by sea waves among other factors, qeshmgeopark says.

This type of erosion gets reduced gradually while moving more towards the “Roof” of Qeshm, which has remained intact.

In some areas of the valley, numerous fossils may be found including fossils of bivalves, in some areas as colonies. Another interesting geological phenomena in the valley is sedimentation forming muddy mud cracks, which has created beautiful and interesting landscapes.

During and after the rainfall, it is important to pay attention to muddy areas where sometimes the mud is very sticky and dangerous to walk on at this geo-site.

Qeshm Island, in the Persian Gulf, is heaven for eco-tourists as it embraces wide-ranging attractions such as the Hara marine forests and about 60 villages dotted mostly across its rocky coastlines. Meanwhile, it is home to birds, reptiles, dolphins, and turtles to name a few.

The island also features geologically eye-catching canyons, hills, caves, and valleys, most of which are protected as part of the UNESCO-tagged Qeshm Island Geopark, itself a heaven for nature-lovers.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 2017 registered the island on its Global Geoparks list.

Such scenic landscapes can also be found in other parts of Iran, for instance in Shahdad, which is a major part of the UNESCO-registered Lut desert in southeastern Kerman province. Shahdad is home to massive sand pyramids created by wind and water.

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