Iran will open a trade office in Berlin, said a leading German official

Iran will open a trade office in Berlin, said a leading German official.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Deputy Chairperson of the German Near and Middle East Association (NUMOV) Helene Rang said Iran has recently purchased an office in the German capital to further boost trade ties with the European country, IRNA reported.

The Iran trade bureau will become operational in two to three months, she said, adding, "We are still in the conceptual phase with regards to what this office would actually do."

Rang, who heads Germany's oldest and largest non-profit and independent service provider for the Middle East region, added, "I have already presented a concept for promoting trade but I don't know whether the Iranian side will actually follow my concept."

Pointing to plans for a major German-Iranian business conference in Frankfurt on May 19, she added, "On the first day, after I announced plans for the business conference in Frankfurt, some 100 German firms registered for the meeting."

German companies in the energy, steel and pharmaceutical sector are particularly keen on doing business with Iran, she added.

Rang underlined that once a final nuclear agreement with Iran is reached by June 30, all sanctions should be lifted, especially the financial sanctions.

She hoped that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier would visit Iran in the near future and this would also help promote trade ties between the two countries.

German exports to Iran surged 30 percent last year to reach €2.4 billion as a result of partial lifting of Western sanctions.