Iranian-born Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab received his country’s top exporter award June 21 from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), a pro-government business group. Zarrab received the award in the field of jewelry on behalf of his company, Volgam Gida. In the general exporters’ list, Volgam stood 13th — no mean feat for a company that started only a few years ago.
The award and Zarrab’s case have interesting implications for domestic Turkish politics, Turkish-Iranian relations and the talks over Tehran’s nuclear program.