Rouhani's Arrival in Paris; Peugeot to Re-enter Iranian Market in 2017

The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, arrived in Paris on Wednesday, February 7, and stated that a new chapter in Iran-Europe relations, including with France, has begun. At the same time, it was announced that Peugeot will return to Iran, with its vehicles entering the market in 2017. Rouhani's trip to France will last two days, during which 20 cooperation documents in various fields are expected to be signed. According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), these documents will be signed on Thursday afternoon at the Élysée Palace in the presence of the Presidents of Iran and France. One of these agreements pertains to Peugeot's return to the Iranian car market, with its products being produced by Iran Khodro using parts imported from France. According to a source from François Hollande's government, the implementation of this contract will result in the annual production of 200,000 Peugeot vehicles in Iran. The first manufactured vehicles are expected to enter the Iranian market in 2017 (1396 in the Persian calendar). Peugeot ended its collaboration with Iran Khodro in 2012 following the intensification of Western sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Until then, Iran was Peugeot's largest market for vehicles after France. Tehran hopes that with the lifting of international sanctions and normalizing its relations with the outside world, especially Europe, the path for foreign investment in Iran will be opened, and the country's economy will flourish. One of the most important contracts expected to be signed during Rouhani's visit to France is the purchase of dozens of passenger planes from Airbus. On Wednesday, before leaving Italy, Rouhani told reporters that the European Union has suffered the most from sanctions against Iran because economic cooperation with other partners, including China and Russia, was never interrupted during the sanctions. He stated, 'Iran's traditional and good economic relations with European countries were disrupted by the imposition of sanctions, which effectively prevented Europeans from operating in the Iranian market. However, conditions are now ripe for a profitable economic cooperation based on win-win conditions between Iran and European countries.' Regarding internal issues in Iran, Rouhani also responded to a question about the disqualification of two candidates for the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stating, 'I prefer to discuss internal issues more within the country.' Nevertheless, he expressed optimism, saying, 'My prediction is that the elections on March 7 for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts will not be as bad as you think.' He added, 'Although there are some disagreements on minor issues, I have great hope that the Guardian Council, as a very important institution in the country, will address concerns in the final stage of the qualification review, and the elections on March 7 will strengthen the Islamic Republic even more with widespread public participation.' The Assembly of Experts elections are set to be held in Esfand this year, with over 70% of candidates disqualified or their qualifications not confirmed, according to the Guardian Council. In the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections, over 60% of the 12,000 registered candidates have been disqualified. This disqualification has sparked significant protests, but it seems that despite the complaints of more than 5,000 candidates, as announced by the Iranian Minister of Interior, only a few will be confirmed.