Iran and Iraq could raise their annual bilateral trade to $20 billion from the current $12 billion, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, despite concerns over the impact of renewed U.S. sanctions. Rouhani’s remarks, after a meeting with visiting Iraqi President Barham Salih, came two weeks after the United States restored sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry as well as its banking and transportation sectors. “… through bilateral efforts, we can raise this figure (for bilateral trade) to $20 billion in the near future,” Rouhani said in comments broadcast live on state television.
