Ministry of Industries and Mines is in charge of drawing up the technical criteria for car imports.

TEHRAN, Nov. 20--Commerce Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari finally disclosed Saturday that sluggish car imports are chiefly due to mounting pressures from domestic automakers trying hard to curb, and if possible prevent, imports.
He told ISNA that the Ministry of Industries and Mines is in charge of drawing up the technical criteria for car imports, adding that certain officials are working to slow down car import procedures.
"Some people who see their interest harmed by car imports have accused the Commerce Ministry of trying to turn Iran into a scrap yard for cars," he said, stressing that the ministry has also been blamed for 'harming the domestic automotive industry by permitting the import of used cars'.
The minister further said that one of the main reasons for high prices of goods in Iran is the exorbitant transportation costs.
"Transportation costs have jumped in recent years due to insufficient road transportation fleet," he said, adding that domestic heavy vehicle manufacturing companies are not be able to fully meet the needs of the transportation sector.
"Now, when we talk about the import of heavy vehicles which have been produced in the last two years and are authorized to travel on European roads, those who pursue their own financial interests from the domestic production of such vehicles begin to accuse us of harming domestic production," he said.
Noting that the domestic automotive industry has provided jobs for more than 400,000 people, Shariatmadari said, "If expert studies suggest that the importation of some models would harm the national industries, we would set basic prices for such vehicles."

TEHRAN, Nov. 20--A senior member of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM) said here on Saturday that the government's decision to gather contraband Chinese goods from nationwide consumer markets could not be implemented as it would have more of a psychological than practical impact on goods smuggling.
Massoud Daneshmand, a member of the ICCIM Presiding Board, told ISNA that illegal import of Chinese goods cannot be checked effectively as long as the country lacks a modern banking system.
"Campaign against smuggling (of goods) would produce the desired results only after the country joins free international trade," he said.
The official further said that Chinese firms produce both standard and substandard goods. "However, Iranian merchants prefer to import substandard Chinese products," he said.
Experts say one major reason why Iranian markets have been flooded with Chinese products is that importers sell some of these goods at far below their actual prices.
Nevertheless, the question of Chinese domination in trade is not exclusive to Iran and it has posed a serious threat to markets in other countries as well.
Even advanced countries have become increasingly concerned about the prospect of global markets being overwhelmed by Chinese products.
Foreign investments, modern technology and inexpensive workforce have helped drastically reduce the prices of Chinese products, which are usually offered at highly competitive rates.
China is poised to become Iran's largest trading partner in the world. Bilateral trade has exceeded $6 billion this year.

TEHRAN, Nov. 20--Head of Iran's Privatization Organization said here on Saturday that the body has offered as many shares since mid-October as it had in the last two years, stressing that 61 tenders have been held in the period.
Mir Ali Ashraf Abdollah-Pouri Hosseini told ISNA that only 12 tenders were held in the Iranian month of Mehr (corresponding to Sept. 22-Oct. 21).
The official said most shares offered on Wednesday and Thursday were sold, stressing that the organization had a fruitful week.
"Talks on the sales of stocks of some 11 state companies, whose shares had not been transferred to private ownership last month, have produced the desired results," he said, adding that the fate of all tenders will be announced on Sunday.
Pour-Hosseini's words of success comes amid increasing concerns over the prospect of the Privatization Organization failing to meet its commitments on the transfer of shares of some 140 companies to private ownership via tenders or through the stock exchange by November 21.
The Privatization Organization has offered shares of 14 giant state firms from Nov. 17-21.
Five trillion rials worth of shares of 12 major state companies were also offered last month--a move welcomed by many economic experts as a great step forward in efforts to achieve privatization goals.
Only one of the 12 companies has so far managed to transfer all its shares to private ownership. But the Privatization Organization officials believe that the rest of the shares will certainly be ceded by March, when the second phase of the wholesale privatization drive is planned to begin.

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 20--A bridge connecting Iran and Afghanistan was officially inaugurated on Saturday.
According to IRNA, several Iranian and Afghan officials including Afghan Minister of Public Works Gul Agha Shirzai and Minister of Construction Mohammad Amin Farhang, Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Safdar Hosseini as well as ambassadors stationed in Kabul attended the ceremony.
The bridge, known as Milak Bridge, has a length of 320 meters and was completed in two years at a cost of over $3 billion.
The bridge was constructed at Iran's initiative.