After taking a break from the team, Karkhaneh returned in 2008 to lead Iran to its fourth title. Many of the players in the professional Iranian national team today were developed by and played for Karkhaneh during his tenure with the youth volleyball team. Karkhaneh became the head coach of the Sanam Tehran Volleyball team in 2001 and led the team to four championships in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. As champions of the Iran Super Cup, Sanam qualified for the 2004 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship. Sanam won all five of its matches during the tournament and only lost one set. On January 25, 2006, after a week 19 loss to Petrochimi Bandar Imam V.C., Karkhaneh was fired from Sanam Tehran. Karkhaneh won four straight Super League titles with Paykan Tehran in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. He also won four straight Asian Club Volleyball Championships from 2006 to 2009. On July 12, 2009, Mehr News Agency reported that the Petrochimi Bandar Imam VC team management had signed a one-year deal with Karkhaneh to be their head coach. His team finished fifth at the end of the regular season with 47 points, winning 19 out of 28 matches. The top 8 teams out of 15 played in the playoffs in a best of three series. Petrochimi lost the series 2-0 against fourth seed Kalleh. They played the eighth seed Bank Keshavarzi in the consolation game but lost the series 2-0 once again. They ended the season as the seventh team, one spot lower than the previous season. On April 23, 2010, club spokesman Shapour Yavari stated that while the club has not made a final decision, he felt team management was willing to bring back Karkhaneh for the following season. On May 10, 2010, while expressing his disappointment and concern with the team's shortcomings Yavari explained that the team will likely make a decision on the coaching matter in an upcoming club meeting. On the same day upon landing in Tehran from Mahshahr, Karkhaneh was taken to the hospital for stress-related health problems. He was released from the hospital after he was cleared by doctors. In September 2010, Karkhaneh stated that while he had received some head coaching offers, he was not in a rush and preferred to find the right fit before making a decision.