Afghan truck drivers have once again closed Zaranj-Milak border crossing in Afghanistan's Nimruz Province and Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province, only a couple of days after it was reopened on Thursday, Rouhollah Latifi, the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, said on Monday.
Over the past three weeks, the movement of trucks and goods carriers was delayed due to a strike by Afghan truckers and their blockade of the return route of Iranian trucks and the Iranian retaliation.
Sistan-Baluchestan Security Council has ordered the impoundment of over 130 Afghan trucks smuggling fuel from Iran to the neighboring country for three months. In protest, some Afghan transportation companies and truckers closed the return route of Iranian trucks at Zaranj-Milak border crossing. In response, Iran also restricted the return route of Afghan trucks to their country.
Border officials of the two countries underscored the importance of cross-border trade and reopening of the Milak border following a meeting last week and it was finally reopened on Thursday morning. Afghan truckers are seemingly not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting and again closed the route on Monday, Mehr News Agency reported.
Afghanistan was Iran’s fourth export destination in the four months leading to July 21. It purchased 2.11 million tons of goods worth $713 million accounting for 8% of Iran’s total exports in the four months.
Besides Milak (which is the main trade corridor between Iran and Afghanistan), the two countries have two other border crossings, namely Mahiroud in South Khorasan Province and Dogharoun in Taybad County of Khorasan Razavi province.
According to Hamid Mohammadi, an official with Road Maintenance and Transportation Office of Khorasan Razavi, Afghanistan has transported 15,000 tons of its products by 610 trucks through Dogharoun to Iran’s southern borders and western border from March 20 to July 21.
“Since March 20 up until now, 256 trucks have transported goods from Chabahar Port to Dogharoun compared with 11 trucks of last [Iranian] year [March 2019-20],” he was quoted as saying by IRNA on Friday.
