That the company could put itself up for sale to the highest bidder, foreign or domestic, might seem impossible in a country founded on an anti-Western revolutionary ideology. However, a law passed with little fanfare in 2002 and mostly forgotten since then as sanctions and anti-Western feelings piled up practically rolls out the red carpet for foreign buyers.

This seems to be so even though Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said repeatedly since the signing of the nuclear agreement last month that his country is not for sale, particularly not to United States buyers.

The 2002 law, the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act, is remarkably liberal, giving foreigners 100 percent ownership rights, residence visas valid for three years and the opportunity to transfer their profits out of the country in foreign currencies. It offers a number of tax exemptions that, in certain conditions, can rise to 100 percent of an enterprise’s profits.

Yet, Iran has a long history of changing laws on the fly, or simply ignoring them when that suits the establishment’s purposes. In an effort to reassure investors, the act guarantees that the government will pay compensation for any investments in projects that are nationalized or expropriated, though it does not say exactly how much.

Economists warn that investing in a country like Iran is not as straightforward as it is in the West. The Iranian economy is riddled with conflicting interests, they say, and those in power are typically interested in obtaining foreign cash without giving up power.

“Here our officials are minister, regulator and seller at the same time,” said Saeed Laylaz, an economist. “Their goal is to get foreign funds, but in their hearts they are not ready to give away their influence.”

Nevertheless, Iranian officials have gone out of their way in recent weeks to emphasize that once sanctions are lifted, nothing stands in the way of foreigners snapping up assets.