According to the TOBB report, which showed statistics for companies that were established and closed in Turkey in October, 15 percent of foreign companies established in Turkey that month were Iranian-funded, 37 companies out of the 252 that were established with foreign partners last month. The report also showed that 688 Iranian-funded foreign companies were established in Turkey in the first 10 months of the year.
The next two foreign investors on the list were Germany, with 271 companies established this year, and Russia, with 135. The number of Iranian-funded foreign companies in Turkey has seen a rapid increase since the beginning of the year, causing the Turkish government to worry that some activities of Iranian companies could provoke an unwanted confrontation between Ankara and its Western allies due to what may be considered a violation of US and EU-imposed unilateral sanctions, albeit not running afoul of UN Security Council resolutions.
The number of companies funded by Iran totaled 2,140 as of the end of last year, other TOBB data show. This was a 40 percent rise over 2010, and more than half of these firms are located in İstanbul. Iranian firms in Turkey are mainly involved in the power generation, electronics, communications and construction sectors. According to the registry list for companies provided by the İstanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO), more than half of the Iranian-funded companies in Turkey -- 1,200 to be exact -- are located in İstanbul. Currently, 25 percent of all foreign companies are based in İstanbul.
TOBB previously announced that 590 foreign companies were financed by Iran in 2011, an increase of 41 percent over the previous year. This puts Iran at the top of the list of new foreign companies established in 2011, not only based on nominal figures but in terms of percentage as well.