Iran, once a world leader in rug exports, has seen its share of the international carpet plummet to near zero after years of antagonism with the West.
A business official told Iran International that Iran, long known as the world leader in handmade rugs, has lost its carpet export market to continental rivals.
In the 1980s Iran exported $1.7 billion of Persian carpets. But today that number has dropped to around $50,000, the report said, quoting the official.
India Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan have swooped in to take up the space in the rug market previously held by Iran.

Iran”s carpet exports began to sink in 2005 after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad”s election led to tense relations with the West. Sanctions enacted in the early 2000s after Iran came into conflict with the US and the EU over its nuclear ambitions and uranium enrichment were also damaging.
Iran International noted that Iran”s Persian carpet market is now largely domestic. But recent hopes that renewed relations with Saudi Arabia would lead to a new market for rug exports will likely be dashed due to the Saudis having their own domestic rug production.
(Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)