Tehran – Iran is doubling down on its agricultural diplomacy, rolling out a coordinated strategy to deepen economic ties with neighboring countries and expand its footprint into African and East Asian markets, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.

 

Mohammad Reza Nazeri, Director General of the Economic Coordination Office at the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Affairs Department, lauded the Ministry of Agriculture for its proactive approach to forging agricultural partnerships with priority regions.

 

Speaking at a joint briefing in Tehran between the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO) and Iranian economic attachés preparing for overseas postings, he commended the Agriculture Minister's "special focus" on cultivating agricultural relations with neighboring states, Africa, and East Asia.

 

Describing economic attachés as "the Foreign Ministry's strategic capital," Nazeri underscored their wealth of experience operating across diverse continents and stressed that their core mandate remains the expansion of economic collaboration.

 

"We concluded, in close consultation with AREEO, that this is the ideal moment to close the gap between domestic institutional mandates and diplomatic action," Nazeri explained. "That is precisely why we are convening these sessions for attachés on the verge of deployment—to immerse them in the priorities and requirements of our agricultural institutions, so they can systematically pursue these objectives through well-informed, goal-oriented planning."

 

Urging the Agriculture Ministry to make full use of the diplomatic corps as a gateway to international markets, Nazeri pointed to the vast but underutilized potential of Iran's agricultural sector. "Today's session gave us valuable insight into AREEO's capabilities, and there are undoubtedly many other capacities waiting to be leveraged," he said. "The Foreign Ministry is fully prepared to facilitate expanded cooperation and secure greater economic returns for Iran's agriculture on the global stage."