Iran said on Sunday that it is ready to cooperate with Google to facilitate its services in the Persian Gulf region.

Nasrollah Jahangard, Iran’s deputy minister of telecommunications and information technology, has been quoted by local media as saying that negotiations are underway with Google to establish a version of its servers in Iran.

“This is a normal thing in the world and it will be economical for [IT] companies to be closer to their main clients,” Jahangard has told Iran’s Fars news agency.

He added that similar talks are currently being carried out with several other major US and European internet companies.

Jahangard added that Iran is even willing to help internet companies like Google use its facilities by providing services to the countries of the region, as well.

“Iran will of course not interfere in the services of the companies but we want what they present in the Iranian market to be in line with Iranian laws,” he added.

Jahangard further emphasized that some non-American enterprises have reached advanced stages in talks to enter the Iranian IT market, adding that their names will be publicly announced once negotiations with them reach the final stages.

AA/AA