Erbil hosted a trade fair to showcase Iranian goods on Tuesday at Sami Abdul Rahman Park’s exhibit hall. It was attended by 280 Iranian companies.

Iran is trying to strengthen its trade relations with the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as US economic sanctions on the country continue to squeeze Iranian economy and slash its currency.

The Kurdistan Region is heavily dependent upon on neighboring Iran and Turkey for imports, as bringing foreign goods from the southern Iraqi port of Basra can be costly and Syria remains engulfed in civil war. 

Erbil, also a close friend to Washington, has said it will follow Baghdad's lead on US restrictions on dealing with sanctions. Three of the Kurdistan Region's provinces — Erbil, Sulaimani, and Halabja — share a border and unofficial and official crossings with Iran. Many towns and villages straddle both sides of the border making US restrictions difficult to apply.

In attendance were Erbil Governor Nawzad Hadi, Iran Consul General to Erbil Murtaza Abbadi and Safeen Dizayee, who served as the Kurdistan Regional Government spokesperson under Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani who was sworn in as President on Monday.

Photos: Mohammed Shwani | Rudaw