Cargo transit via Iran surges 27% only in 10 months as country seriously competing with rival corridors

Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development (MRUD) announced that cargo transit via the country rose 27% year on year in the 10 months to January 19.

News ID: 5911

Date: 02 February 2025 - 10:36

TABNAK, Feb 02: Javad Hedayati, who leads transit operations at MRUD’s road maintenance department, said on Saturday that cargo transit to other countries via the Iranian roads network had reached 15 million metric tons (mt) in April-January.

Hedayati said the figure was a milestone considering an annual transit target of 16 million mt that has been set for both roads and railways in Iran.

He said annual cargo transit via Iranian roads would reach 17.5 million mt until March, adding that the MRUD estimates suggest the figure could hit 22 million in the next calendar year and 40 million mt at the end of a 5-year economic vision plan in 2028.

Hedayati said the significant increase in cargo transit via Iran is a product of the country’s new diplomatic push to boost relations with neighboring and regional countries and to join major economic blocs like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

There has been a major surge in cargo transit via Iran from Turkey and India to Central Asia in recent years.

That comes as Iran has entered into major transportation agreements with Central Asian countries to increase its revenues from transit fees.

Starting on January 10 and after some 20 years, Iran and Uzbekistan removed a 400% tax imposed on trucks traveling through their respective territories.

Back in 2022, Turkmenistan agreed to stop taxing shipments arriving from Iran while Iran is also in talks with Kazakhstan to facilitate the movement of cargo between the two countries.

Iran is also negotiating transportation arrangements with China to further increase the traffic of cargo and passengers from the East Asian country to Iran, Turkey, and Europe.