Iran said on Saturday that it has started preliminary talks with some American companies over certain investment projects in the country.

Iran�s Minister of Mine, Industries and Trade Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh has been quoted by the media as saying that the target sectors over which discussions are underway include the construction of power plants and investments in production of medical equipment.

Nematzadeh did not name the American companies but emphasized that they among �the most advanced and the most renowned� US enterprises.

He added that the Americans are negotiating with Iran through their European offshoots.

The Iranian minister further emphasized that the corporations that are mostly based in the US still cannot deal with Iran due to the sanctions that still remain.

Nematzadeh also said that Iran is discussing potential investment areas with other countries based on a list of priorities. The list, he said, is based on the capabilities of companies from different countries in making different investments.

Several top American businesses have so far made it known that they are interested in the Iranian market.

Recently, reports said a top executive from GE had visited Iran to discuss opportunities for investing in the country�s oil and gas projects. Also on Thursday, aviation giant Boeing said it had received the approval from the US government to approach the Iranian market.

Last month, an official from a key Iranian IT union told reporters that Apple is already through the process of obtaining the authorizations to launch its business in Iran and has even purchased properties to open two major shops in capital Tehran.

Other indications had also appeared that Microsoft is already making a footprint in the Iranian IT market by opening several shops in Tehran�s tech hubs.

By Press TV