MNA – US decision to put carpet on sanctions list is against international protocols and Iran will lodge a lawsuit against US in international bodies, said Fereshteh Dastpak, head of Iran National Carpet Center.

She made the remarks on the sideline of the inauguration of the first Tabriz carpet exhibition in Tehran on Saturday.

Hand-woven Iranian carpet belongs to the Iranian nation and is a symbol of Iranian culture, she said, highlighting that according to international protocols, sanctions cannot be imposed to whatever belongs to a nation.

US President’s decision to impose sanctions against this iconic Iranian handicraft is a mistake, Dastpak told IRNA.

Iran National Carpet Center will pursue the lawsuit in international organizations, she said, hoping that the related bans would be lifted soon.

Nearly a month ago, the US Treasury Department announced it had revoked licenses to trade in Iranian carpets, pistachios and caviar.

Iranian hand-woven carpets are exported to 80 different countries, with US being one of the leading markets by a total share of 30 percent. The value of this export was around $424 million in the past Iranian fiscal year, corresponding to March 2017 – March 2018.