Sanctions will not affect Iran WTO bid

Iranian Commerce Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari says new sanctions against Tehran will have no effect on the country’s negotiations with the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In response to a question about the effect of UN sanctions on Iran’s economy and its membership in the WTO, Ghazanfari said such measures would not affect Tehran’s bid for joining the organization as the WTO has never involved itself in similar matters in the past.

“The WTO has raised 700 questions, which different organizations in the country are trying to answer. After these questions are addressed… it is possible for new questions to be posed and all countries have gone through similar stages in their negotiations with the WTO,” IRIB News quoted Ghazanfari as saying.

Iran is among several large countries that remain outside the WTO due to US opposition to Tehran’s membership. Nearly a decade after the Islamic Republic first proposed joining the organization, the global trade body agreed to allow Iran to start membership talks in May 2005.

WTO rules require candidates to negotiate with a working group which represent the trade body. WTO entry negotiations may take years to complete.