Karim Alizadeh said that the two sides recently signed a five-year agreement.

“The agreement was signed by Masud Azarnush, the director of the CHTO Archaeological Research Center , and Richard M. Leventhal, the director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology,” he added.

According to the agreement, joint excavations will be conducted at the ancient sites of Iran , student exchanges between Iran and the University of Pennsylvania will be arranged, and Iranian archaeologists will be given the opportunity to participate in the university’s studies in different parts of the world, Alizadeh explained.

Experts of the University of Pennsylvania , which had previously carried out research work at Iran ’s ancient sites, including Hassanlu in West Azerbaijan , have been making strenuous efforts to resume their studies in Iran over the past two years, he noted.

The CHTO has also signed an agreement with the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago , which had worked at ancient Iranian sites such as Persepolis from the 1930s until the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when the collaboration was interrupted.

At the present time, a number of experts and archaeologists from Germany , France , Japan , the United States , and other countries are working at several of Iran ’s ancient sites such as Jiroft in Kerman , Sialk near Kashan, Anshan in Fars , and several places in Khuzestan.