Rapaport� Diamonds. Net- Diamond- grading group HRD Antwerp will launch an educational program in Iran to expand its presence in the Middle East.

HRD will start training certified diamond graders in a debut course in Tehran at the end of April in collaboration with Alireza Feizollahi, a local consultant.

The move is part of a wider attempt to expand HRD�s operations in the region, according to Katrien De Corte, its chief officer for education and industry. HRD will open an office in Dubai at the end of February, featuring a drop-off point for diamonds and jewelry for sending on to its laboratories. It also offers vocational courses in Bahrain, Qatar and Lebanon, and has operated a laboratory in Istanbul, Turkey, since 2010.

The organization plans to open a second drop-off point in the region, likely in Lebanon, De Corte added.

As for Iran, the potential exists for further business opportunities, De Corte pointed out. �We�ll start with an educational center and evaluate� what customers want, she said.

Offering HRD�s services in Iran has only been possible since the European Union lifted�nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against the country in January 2016. This followed an agreement between Iran and six superpowers in July 2015.