About 11.3 million tons of foreign goods were transited through Iran during the current Iranian year’s first 11 months (March 21, 2021-Feb. 19), registering a 70% rise compared with the similar period of last year, according to the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
“We expect the transit volume to reach 12.4 million tons by the [fiscal] yearend [March 20],” Rouhollah Latifi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Last year, he added, and the year before (fiscal 2020-21 and 2019-20), only around 7.5 million tons of goods were transited through the country, noting that the reasons for this year’s increase are the lifting of most restrictions over Covid-19, the government’s establishment of stronger political and economic ties with neighboring countries and the better cooperation of different bodies.
The volume of transit via Iranian railroad has hit the highest over the past century.
A total of 1.73 million tons of foreign goods were transited from Iran via railroad during the same period under review, more than double that of last Iranian year, according to CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways.
“Last year [March 2020-21], only 805,000 tons of goods were transited through the Iranian railroad,” Miad Salehi was also quoted as saying by the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
Saeed Rasouli, former managing director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, told a virtual meeting of the 36th conference of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways in April 2021, said Iran’s rail freight transport grew by 29% in the last fiscal year (March 2020-21) compared with the year before, despite border closures during the first four months of Covid-19 pandemic.
“Exports by the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways increased by 5% in the last fiscal year [March 2020-21] compared with the year before. More than 650,000 tons of cargo were carried across the Iran-Turkey rail border crossing [Razi border terminal, Iran’s sole rail connection with the neighboring country], reaching a record high in the past 10 years,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
Iran reportedly earns $150 and $50 for each ton of transit goods via road and rail respectively.
Iran’s top 10 busiest transit borders in the last Iranian year (March 2020-21) were Shahid Rajaee Special Economic Zone in the southern Hormozgan Province with more than 3,3 million tons, Bazargan in West Azarbaijan Province with 703,000 tons, Bashmaq in Kurdestan Province with 687,000 tons, Sarakhs in Khorasan Razavi Province with 457,000 tons, Imam Khomeini Port checkpoint in Khuzestan Province with 447,000 tons, Bileh Savar in Ardabil Province with 337,000 tons, Jolfa in East Azarbaijan Province 312,000 tons, Razi in East Azarbaijan Province with 188,000 tons, Astara in Gilan Province with 156,000 tons and Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan province with 139,000 tons.
These 10 border crossings accounted for 89% of Iran’s overall transit volume (7.5 million tons) during the period under review.
With 12 wharfs, Shahid Rajaee is Iran’s biggest container port, accounting for 90% of the country’s total container throughput.
Over half of Iran’s commercial trading is carried out at Shahid Rajaee, which is located 23 kilometers west of the port city of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan Province.
