English-language State media continued to push �good news� stories about Iran�s ailing economy on Sunday. After Fars News � close to the Revolutionary Guards � attempted to convince readers that the oil industry was in good shape, State outlet Press TV offers a positive economic message with a heart-warming, nationalist twist:
The chairman of Iran�s National Carpet Center [Mohammad Baqer Aqa-Alikhani] says hand-woven Iranian carpets constitute 35 percent of the global market for the commodity � $427 million out of a total $1.35 billion.


Press TV points out, �Carpets are one of the greatest manifestations of the Persian culture and art.�

But why are they so popular? The journalists explain, �Experts attribute the increasingly lucrative market for Persian carpets worldwide to its quality, color and design.�

And there is more good news � the sales could increase still further via publicity and shrewd diplomacy:

Aqa-Alikhani noted that�the Islamic Republic can further boost its international market by advertising the Iranian carpet and sending commercial delegations overseas in an attempt to identify new markets.


Thus, Iran�s global image corresponds with a solution for unemployment: as Press TV points out:

There is an estimated population of 1.2 million carpet weavers in Iran.

By�Enduring America

 

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