Boosting trade with neighbors Iran's priority

TABNAK, Oct. 14 - Mohammad Reza Aref said Iran’s border provinces should take the lead in driving regional trade, as the government prioritizes exports and cost-effective imports from neighboring countries.

News ID: 6833

Date: 14 October 2025 - 09:32

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref says expanding trade with neighboring countries is a top government priority, adding that border provinces have a role in strengthening regional economic ties.

“We have the best relations with our neighbors, and we have achieved good results from expanding those relations,” Aref said at a national meeting of provincial governors in Tehran on Monday.

Aref said importing essential goods from neighboring states has proven more cost-effective than from other sources and called on border provinces to make full use of opportunities for trade and cooperation. Under the government’s special programs, he said, each border province will also assist a non-border province in imports and related logistics.

He identified the completion of transport corridors as a key factor in developing border trade and said routes leading to border terminals would be given priority in road projects.

Aref also emphasized using various mechanisms, including barter arrangements, for importing essential goods from neighboring countries and urged steps to make such imports more competitive while expanding cross-border marketplaces.

According to IRNA, “Exports to neighboring and regional countries are a government priority,” Aref added. “These countries not only provide good markets for our exports but can also meet many of our domestic needs.”