Annual transit of goods via Iran rises 225 to nearly 22m tons

Annual transit of goods via Iran rises 22.5% to nearly 22m tons

TEHRAN – Iran handled nearly 22 million tons of foreign transit cargo in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20, 2025), marking a 22.5 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

Foroud Asgari said on Tuesday that a total of 21.913 million tons of goods transited through Iranian territory in the past year, IRNA reported.

He noted that 19.654 million tons of the total cargo volume passed through ten major customs checkpoints: Shahid Rajaee, Parvizkhan, Bashmaq, Sarakhs, Bazargan, Astara, Piranshahr, Bileh Savar, Lotfabad, and Jolfa.

The highest year-on-year growth in transit volume came from the Sarakhs, Piranshahr, and Lotfabad customs terminals, which recorded increases of 148 percent, 65 percent, and 58 percent, respectively.

The uptick in transit reflects Iran’s growing role as a strategic corridor for international trade, particularly between Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Persian Gulf.

The continuous trend of recent transit records via the country and the increasing interest of governments, traders, and those active in transport sectors from neighboring, regional, and extra-regional countries in the transit and logistics situation of the Islamic Republic of Iran indicate the fruitfulness of the transformational approach of the government to the strategic issue of transit, with emphasis on the development of all-round economic relations with neighbors.

As stated by the former Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, the “Iran Way” initiative made by the 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 official underlined.

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.

Paying attention to upstream documents, especially the country's development plans, and the government's decision to develop transit, paying special attention to infrastructure development, reducing transit time, making it cheaper to cross Iran, and making more advantages over competitors, due to the short path for customers, can lead to facilitating the development of transit so that the country can reach the desired growth in this due.

EF/MA

source: tehrantimes.com