Iran's President Launches Tourism Projects

President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday inaugurated 246 tourism and cultural heritage projects online, creating 3,200 jobs, as Iran marked the start of Tourism Week. Pezeshkian called for broader cultural, tourism and trade ties with neighboring countries, saying US restrictions made stronger regional relations necessary to put Iran on a path toward development and growth, according to his website, president.ir. He also said regulations that hinder tourism businesses would be revised and stressed the need for balanced development of tourism infrastructure in line with population distribution. "Despite the wartime conditions prevailing in the country over the past two years, significant steps have been taken to develop tourism infrastructure across the country, but balanced development remains essential," Pezeshkian said. Since late February, Iran has been operating under wartime conditions and a maritime blockade from the south following a 40-day U.S.-Israeli war. Already under decades of Western sanctions, Iran also faces a new wave of U.S. sanctions targeting its aviation sector. Israel also launched a 12-day war against Iran in June 2024. Pezeshkian said sanctions imposed on Iran should be turned into an opportunity to expand regional ties and create jobs, adding that neighboring countries represented an important capacity for Iran and that broader engagement could open new ways to serve the country. At the ceremony, Tourism and Cultural Heritage Minister Mohammad-Reza Salehi Amiri said 1,471 projects had been completed over the past two years under Pezeshkian's government, which began in August 2024, creating 19,000 direct jobs. - Iran Daily