TEHRAN- Non-oil exports from Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ) in Iran’s southwestern port city of Assaluyeh exceeded 1.574 million tons in the past Iranian calendar month of Khordad (May 22-June 21), rising 23 percent compared to the same month in the past year, according to a customs official.

According to Ahmad Pour-Heidar, the director general of the PSEEZ’s customs office, the exports also raised two percent in terms of value compared to the same period last year, IRNA reported.

The official put the value of non-oil commodities exported from this region during the mentioned month at $706.573 million.

PSEEZ, which is named Iran’s energy hub, is also home to the world’s largest gas reserve, South Pars gas field which Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf. The zone is the hub of Iran’s exports of major non-oil commodities, that are gas condensate and petrochemicals.

Non-oil exports from PSEEZ reached 1.967 million tons in the Iranian calendar month of Ordibehesht (April 21-May 21), registering a 32 percent rise compared to the same month in the past year.

The value of non-oil exports from PSEEZ stood at $728.9 million during the mentioned month.

Rise in non-oil exports from Pars Special Economic Energy Zone is under the condition that the U.S. has renewed sanctions against Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of Iran’s nuclear deal in May 2018 and ordered re-imposition of sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4.

According to the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), in total, Iran exported $11.5 billion of non-oil commodities during spring, which corresponds to the first quarter of the Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21).

Earlier this month, TPO Head Mohammadreza Modoudi said that the non-oil exports during spring of this year has not changed compared to the spring of previous year.

The official put the value of non-oil imports at $10.2 billion during the first quarter of this year, falling 8.7 percent from that of the same period of time in the previous year.

As previously announced by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the value of Iran’s non-oil exports stood at $44.3 billion in the previous year while $42.6 billion worth of commodities were shipped into the country.

EF/MA