Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Rouhollah Latifi has given the latest account of Iran’s commercial exchanges through border crossings with neighboring countries, as the outbreak of the new coronavirus restricted the flow of goods through land borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t\u201cPishin border crossing, a gateway to neighboring Pakistan, reopened on May 2,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThe border crossing, which is located in the southeastern \nSistan-Baluchestan Province, is now open for trading food products every\n other day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, Mehr News Agency reported \non Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tA maximum of 20 trucks and 40-50 pickup and mini trucks are allowed to pass through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThe IRICA spokesman said Rimdan border crossing, also on the \nIran-Pakistan frontier in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, reopened on April\n 25 but Mirjaveh border is still closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tPakistan first closed its eastern and western borders with Iran, \nAfghanistan and India on March 15 to contain the spread of the new \ncoronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tIranian border crossings of Milak, Mahiroud and Dogharoun linking Afghanistan are open for trade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThe head of Iran-Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce said last month that \nvisa issuance for Afghan traders and truck drivers to enter Iran, which \nhad faced a hiatus after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the \ncountry, is not back to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t\u201cAfghan traders can obtain business visa, provided they travel to Iran \nvia plane and carry documented proof that they are not infected with \nCOVID-19,\u201d Mohammad Mehdi Javanmard-Qassab was also quoted as saying by \nMehr News Agency, adding that truck drivers will only need to submit \nproof of their being virus-free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tWith regard to borders with Turkmenistan, Latifi said all borders remain closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tAs for Uzbekistan, Iranian trucks are now allowed to cross for transit,\n exports and imports, and the Uzbek government has removed all \nrestrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tUzbekistan lifted the limitations it had placed on Iranian transit \ntrucks in its territory since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t\u201cTrucks can stay in Uzbekistan for up to 10 days,\u201d Latifi was quoted as\n saying by IRNA, adding that the transit fleet has been required to \nfollow health protocols meticulously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tUzbekistan\u2019s crisis management commission has lifted the ban for Afghan and Italian transit fleet as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tTrade with northern neighbors is underway through Caspian Sea ports, \nnamely Anzali, Astara, Caspian, Noshahr, Fereydounkenar and Amirabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tMarine routes to Russia and Azerbaijan are open. Rail routes to Azerbaijan are also operating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tIranian trucks are travelling through the transit route to Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tIran-Armenia trade is also underway via Nurduz border in East Azerbaijan Province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tCommercial exchanges with Turkey are carried out via Razi railroad but Bazargan border is still closed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tNotably, even Turkish trucks are not allowed to return to their country\n and 360 Turkish trucks have been stranded at the border since April 10,\n pending Ankara\u2019s decision to return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tLatifi noted that the border crossing of Sari Su with Turkey is the \nonly crossing used for importing health, medicinal and pharmaceutical \nproducts, and no other trade activity is done through the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tA total of 18,000 tons of goods worth more than $41 million were \nexported from the Razi border crossing in West Azarbaijan\u2019s Khoy County \nvia 813 cargo wagons during the first months of the current Iranian year\n (March 20-April 19), showing a sevenfold and 20-fold rise in tonnage \nand value respectively compared with the similar period of last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t\u201cRazi is the only border crossing between Iran and Turkey that has not \nbeen closed down due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. All \nhealth protocols are being meticulously followed and a disinfection \nstation has been set up at the border so trade between the two sides can\n continue without a problem,\u201d Superintendent of Razi Rail Customs \nAdministration Seifollah Rasi was quoted as saying by IRNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThe main exported items were polyethylene, urea, copper ingots and watermelons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t\u201cSome 30,000 tons of goods worth around $40 million were transited \nthrough Razi border via 1,400 freight wagons over the same period, \nregistering a 2.5-fold increase in weight year-on-year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tRasi added that since the virus outbreak two months ago, the border crossing has been working round the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tReferring to trade with Iraq, Iran’s biggest export destination among \nneighboring states, Latifi noted that trade with this country is \nunderway via the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, namely the borders of \nTamarchin, Parvizkhan and Bashmaq. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThe border crossings of Siran Band and Sardasht-Kileh opened last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tAll borders with Iraq are still closed, he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThe border crossings of Shalamcheh, Chazzabeh, Mehran and Khosravi remain closed for commercial exchanges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThe border checkpoints of Parvizkhan and Bashmaq have banned trucks \nfrom crossing it until further notice due to the long lines of vehicles \nwaiting there to cross into the Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Mohsen \nYazarlou, a local official in Golestan Province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t“Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar allow the import of metallic and \nrefrigerated watercrafts, but refuse the shipment of wooden and \ntraditional watercrafts,” Latifi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tThere are three marine routes to Oman that mostly trade food and vegetables, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tA new direct marine shipping line between Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat and Bandar Abbas Port in Iran was launched last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tOman\u2019s Port Operation & Management Company (Marafi) said in a post \non its Twitter account that the new line comes \u201cin response to the \nmarket requirements of vegetables, fruits and foodstuff\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tMarafi invited merchants to benefit from this service to meet local \ndemand on the heels of the country\u2019s partial shutdown imposed by the \ncoronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\tAccording to Deputy Foreign Minister Gholamreza Ansari, all borders of \nIran, except the one with Turkmenistan, are open, adding that the \ncountry’s foreign missions are negotiating with host countries to resume\n trade exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t“Turkmenistan has closed its borders to all countries, both neighbors \nand non-neighbors, due to the coronavirus outbreak. They have closed \nalmost all borders to protect themselves from losses inflicted by the \nvirus,” he was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t\u201cFortunately, along other borders of Iran, including the eastern, \nwestern, northern and southern borders, the movement of goods is \ncontinuing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Rouhollah Latifi has given the latest account of Iran’s commercial exchanges through border crossings with neighboring countries, as the outbreak of the new coronavirus restricted the flow of goods through land borders. \u201cPishin border crossing, a gateway to neighboring Pakistan, reopened on May 2,\u201d he said. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[747,8],"tags":[92,118,1093,1069,28],"yoast_head":"\n