Iran’s trade with neighbors hits $20bn mark

The Iranian deputy economic minister and the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Mohammad Rezvanifar said the weight of Iran’s trade with 15 neighboring countries was 34,196,000 tons, which marks a 5-percent hike compared to the same period last year.

He added nearly 27 million tons worth $10.6 billion dollars were allocated to exports and over 7.2 million tons worth $9.1 billion to imports.

Rezvanifar noted that during the mentioned period the exports to neighboring countries increased by 16 percent in terms of value and 6 percent considering the weight.

As for imports, he said the trade had a 1-percent increase in weight and 4-percent decrease in value.

The deputy minister said Iran’s trade balance with 15 neighboring countries has been positive by 1.5 billion dollars, excluding oil.

Rezvanifar also put the country’s total non-oil trade in the past four months at $36 billion, $17.5 billion of which were exports, registering an 8-percent growth compared to the same time span last year.