TEHRAN – Iran exported non-oil goods worth $20.92 billion in the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21-August 22), accounting for more than 61 million tons of shipments, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said.

Foroud Asgari, who also serves as deputy economy minister, said exports slipped six percent in value year-on-year, though volumes were nearly unchanged, edging up 0.07 percent.

By comparison, imports reached $23.02 billion for 15.21 million tons of goods, down 16.3 percent in value and 5.4 percent in weight.

Asgari noted that petrochemical products remained the backbone of outbound trade.

Iran shipped 21.88 million tons of such products worth $8.64 billion, marking a 12 percent drop in volume and 13 percent fall in value.

Natural gas, liquefied propane, bitumen, liquefied butane and methanol ranked among the top exported items.

On the import side, raw gold, corn feed, sunflower seed oil, rice and soybeans were the most significant commodities.

He added that while imports contracted sharply, the trend reflects a shift toward curbing non-essential purchases in favor of essential goods and raw materials.

China, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates led the list of buyers of Iranian goods, joined by Turkey, Afghanistan, Oman and Pakistan.

The UAE, China and Turkey also stood out among the main suppliers to Iran, along with India, Germany, Russia and the Netherlands.

Altogether, Iran’s non-oil trade totaled $43.94 billion between March and August, covering 76.54 million tons of goods.

Officials have highlighted the figures as an indication of resilience in trade flows despite global price fluctuations in petrochemicals and tighter import policies.

EF/MA