TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s non-oil trade with foreign partners reached $80 billion during the 10-month period of the current Iranian calendar year ended on January 20, up 12 percent from the same period last year.

According to IRNA, in terms of weight, the country traded 135 million tons of goods during the mentioned 10 months, registering a 0.4 percent rise year on year.

Meanwhile, the trade balance was reported negative with the value of imports exceeding that of exports by $5.7 billion.

As reported, during the mentioned time span some $43 billion worth of non-oil goods were imported into the country, 22 percent more than that of the last year’s 10-month period.

Auto parts were one of the main drivers of the increase in the value of imports in the mentioned period.

The value of exports stood at $37 billion in the said 10 months, 1.7 percent more than that of last year’s same time span.

Industrial products and minerals as well as carpets and handicrafts were reported to be the main drivers of the increase in the value of the country’s 10-month exports.

China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, South Korea, Turkey, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand and Indonesia were the top importers of Iranian commodities, while China, the UAE, South Korea, Turkey and Germany were top exporters of goods to the country.

EF/MA