Iran will hold an international exhibit of communication and information technologies next week with only Chinese companies participating, officials said.

Hamed Biazar, an official in charge of the exhibition said that organizers tried their utmost to secure the presence of other countries about the event, but their attempts failed.

Iran is under US and some European sanctions that deter international firms from dealing with the Islamic Republic. Any dealing with Iran could constitute a potential violation of sanctions. Repeated hostage taking of foreign nationals by the Iranian authorities is another factor in drastically reducing travel to the country.

Biazar said that even Russian firms refrained from participating in the exhibition, which left only six Chinese companies as the only foreign entities present.

Another official, however, argued that the absence of foreigners is related to the Christmas holidays but did not explain why Muslim countries are absent.

Iran is also accused of vast cyber disruption activities and sophisticated hacking operations around the world. Microsoft and other major tech companies have repeatedly reported illicit Iranian cyber activities.

The government also has one of the world’s most restrictive internet access policies, with thousands of websites and most major social media sites blocked.

Attendance has declined in similar trade exhibits in recent years. An electronics and computers show last year reportedly attracted 120,000 people while the same event a decade ago brought more than 400,000 people to the venue and many foreign countries and firms were present.