IRNA � An Iranian export official says the country can replace the US market with the lucrative market of China for Persian rugs.


The US is a major market for hand-made Persian rugs, but it will be closed to Iran when the sanctions take effect, Chairman of Iran's export confederation Mohammad Lahouti told Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Friday.

Washington has re-imposed new sanctions on Iran after pulling out of the nuclear deal in May.

The sanctions are set to effect in November.

Chinese market is one of the new ones for Persian rugs that can be replaced by the US market, he said.

The Chinese customers, unlike the Europeans, are not demanding low-price Persian rugs, he said, rather there are significant portion of demand for highly valuable and exquisite hand-woven rugs in China.

At time of sanctions, the government should set the ground for entering new markets, and the business attaches in Iranian embassies should introduce new markets to the exporters, the official said.

Persian rugs have two types of markets; the traditional markets such as the US, Germany and Italy, and the new ones that are some Asian countries, including China and Russia, as well as South Africa and Latin America.