Iran-Pakistan transit corridor inaugurated

TABNAK, Apr. 13 - Pakistan has formally commenced trade under the Pakistan-Iran transit corridor, dispatching its inaugural export consignment through the new route, a report said.

News ID: 7318

Date: 13 April 2026 - 17:21

Director of Transit Trade Customs Sanaullah Abro said the first shipment consisted of frozen meat and was sent to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in refrigerated trucks, according to PakistanToday.

He said consignments from Pakistan would move through Gwadar and Iran onward to Central Asian countries under the corridor.

The corridor has been launched under the TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) system, according to the Directorate of Transit Trade Customs.

The directorate said TIR procedures have been streamlined and major border crossing points, including Taftan, Rimdan, Sost and Gwadar, have been activated for TIR transit.

At a ceremony held for the launch, Director General of Transit Trade Customs Sanaullah Abro and Director Transit Muhammad Rashid flagged off the first consignment.

Abro said making the corridor operational would help speed up Pakistan’s economic growth and increase traffic at the country’s ports.

The corridor is being seen as an important development for Pakistan’s trade and transit sectors, with expectations that it will support exports and improve regional connectivity.

Sources said the route would give Pakistan an alternative and comparatively economical trade link, reducing dependence on sea-based routes, Tasnim reported.

It is also expected to cut transit time and lower logistics costs significantly.

In a related development, the opening of the corridor comes as Pakistan seeks to strengthen overland trade access to Central Asia.

Under the new arrangement, exports from Pakistan can move through Iranian territory after passing via Gwadar, creating another option for regional transit.

Meanwhile, the development was also reported alongside renewed expectations that Pakistan and Iran could revisit their gas and oil pipeline plans following peace talks between Iran and the United States.

Pakistan and Iran signed a commercial agreement during the Pakistan Peoples Party government in 2009.

Later, in 2013, then Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated the gas pipeline project.

Iran has completed work on its side of the pipeline, while Pakistan has not yet started construction on its portion.

Officials say Iran is prepared to extend the gas sale agreement by another 10 years, but Pakistan wants to put the project aside because of US sanctions on Tehran and weak domestic demand.

The launch of the Pakistan-Iran transit corridor marks the beginning of formal trade activity on the route, with officials presenting it as a step aimed at improving trade flows and expanding Pakistan’s connectivity with regional markets.