TEHRAN – Iran exported 48 million tons of non-oil goods worth $16.5 billion in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21–July 22), down five percent from the same period last year, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said.

Foroud Asgari, who also serves as deputy economy minister, said petrochemical exports made up the largest share of the total, generating $6.9 billion in revenue.

That figure represents a 10 percent drop compared with the same period a year earlier.

Other major export items included natural gas at about $1.3 billion, liquefied petroleum gas at $1 billion, methanol at $789 million, and butane and petroleum gases at $914 million.

China was Iran’s top export market in the period, purchasing $4.5 billion worth of goods. Iraq ranked second with $3.0 billion, followed by the United Arab Emirates with $2.1 billion, Turkey with $1.6 billion, Afghanistan with $790 million, Pakistan with $603 million, and Oman with $591 million.

Asgari noted that despite the overall decline in exports, trade ties with regional neighbors remained strong, accounting for a significant portion of shipments.

He emphasized that Iran is seeking to expand its export markets further by diversifying products and targeting countries in Asia, Africa and Eurasia.

Imports during the same four-month period totaled 17.6 million tons worth $17.6 billion. Key import goods included gold bullion worth $1.0 billion, corn at $1.1 billion, rice worth $688 million (634,000 tons), sunflower seed oil at $132 million, soybeans at $569 million, mobile phones at $504 million, wheat at $344 million, barley at $310 million, and sesame and soybean products at $212 million.

The UAE was the largest source of imports at $5.4 billion, followed by China at $4.5 billion and Turkey at $2.5 billion, with Germany, Russia and the Netherlands supplying smaller amounts.

Asgari said customs operations in ports have returned to normal following recent incidents, with only administrative buildings damaged. Cargo clearance resumed on the second day after the incident through online declarations, and construction of a new customs building at the original site is under way without a tender process to speed completion, he added.

EF/MA