TEHRAN- Member of Parliament Esmaeil Kosari said foreign direct investment needs security and Iran’s security is one of the most important incentives for foreign investors to enter the market.

IFIF Public Relations- Speaking to journalists in Tehran on Tuesday, Kosari said because of the expansionist policies of Israel and Saudi Arabia the region has become volatile, but Iran still remains safe and secure, and for those willing to invest this is a key factor.

“The government supports and protects foreign investors and their interests within the framework of the law. However, there is no support for those companies which seek to monopolize the Iranian market,” he added.

This comes as member of Iran's Chamber of Commerce on Monday voiced the private sector's readiness to enter into joint investments in energy sector with international counterparts.

Hassan Kazzemi told an international conference in Tehran on Monday that the private sector enjoys massive capabilities in energy and has a lot to say in this regard. 

"Most of the country's power plants are inefficient which must be resolved through joint ventures," he said.

On the same note, Iran said on Saturday that it had started preliminary talks with some American companies over certain investment projects in the country.

Iran’s Minister of Mine, Industries and Trade Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh was quoted by the media as saying that the target sectors over which discussions are underway include the construction of power plants and investments in production of medical equipment.   

Nematzadeh did not name the American companies but emphasized that they are among “the most advanced and the most renowned” US enterprises. 

He added that the Americans are negotiating with Iran through their European offshoots. 

The Iranian minister further emphasized that the corporations that are mostly based in the US still cannot deal with Iran due to the sanctions that still remain. 

Nematzadeh also said that Iran is discussing potential investment areas with other countries based on a list of priorities. The list, he said, is based on the capabilities of companies from different countries in making different investments.

Several top American businesses have so far made it known that they are interested in the Iranian market.

Recently, reports said a top executive from GE had visited Iran to discuss opportunities for investing in the country’s oil and gas projects. Also, aviation giant Boeing said it had received the approval from the US government to approach the Iranian market./s