TEHRAN - The transit of foreign goods through Iran has increased by 56.5 percent in the firs two months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-May 20) compared to the same period last year, according to the latest report by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

The IRICA reported on Sunday that over 3.6 million metric tons (mt) of goods were transited through Iran in the mentioned two months, Mehr News Agency reported.

Parvizkhan customs on Iran’s western borders with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region ranked first by registering 1.07 mt of commodities in the two-month period, which accounted for 29.5 percent of the foreign transit.

Shahid Rajaei customs in the southern country recorded the second-largest foreign transit in the period, registering 893,000 mt of goods.

Also, 474,000 mt of the commodities went through Bashmaq customs which connects Iran to Iraq, coming third in this regard.

During this period, the largest increase in foreign transit went to the customs of Piranshahr, Sarakhs, and Parvizkhan, marking a rise of 726 percent, 294 percent, and 238 percent, respectively.

As previously announced by IRICA, 17.79 million tons of commodities were transited through the country in the past Iranian calendar year 1402.

Transit of commodities through Iran increased by 36.52 percent during the previous year compared to the preceding year.

As stated by Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, the “Iran Way” initiative offered by the current Iranian government, lets the neighboring countries use Iran as a route or a solution that facilitates their access to international waters.

Iran Way initiative is the gateway to Iran's land of transit opportunities, the minister has underlined.

The policy of paying attention to neighbors and developing political and economic relations with neighboring countries in the current government, increasing attention to road and rail routes in the world, and the efforts and cooperation of transportation and trade-related organizations in establishing or activating corridors through the country has led to significant growth in transit of goods through Iran.

Iran is one of the countries with a special status in trade and transit relations due to its strategic location and special geography, as the country is the passage of several important international corridors.

Considering its geographical location, Iran can play a significant role in the transit of goods in the region and benefit a lot from its status in this due.

In early June 2023, Deputy Transport Minister Shahriar Afandizadeh announced that the Transport and Urban Development Ministry is preparing a five-year comprehensive plan for increasing transportation and transit relations with Central Asia, as well as the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman countries.

The plan includes the basic strategies and executive roadmap in a step-by-step manner for the next five years and will mark the evolution of the bilateral transport and transit relations with the target countries, including the countries of Central Asia and the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, Afandizadeh explained.

This year, the issue of transit and playing a role in major programs such as those related to China's Belt and Road Initiative, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is one of the main priorities of the Transport Ministry in developing transport relations with regional and extra-regional target countries, the official noted.

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