Iran exported 858,541 tons of non-oil products worth $160 million to Qatar during the first seven months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Oct. 22).
This showed an 11.23% decrease and a 44% rise in weight and value respectively compared with the similar period of last year, latest data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration show.
The exports accounted for 1.28% and 0.59% of Iran’s total exports in terms of tonnage and value over the seven months respectively.
Qatar was Iran's 21st biggest export destination during the period, Mehr News Agency reported.
Iran and Qatar have been forging stronger economic ties ever since a number of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia abruptly severed diplomatic relations with Doha in June last year and imposed a blockade on the Persian Gulf country, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups. The Qatari government denies the allegation as baseless, blasting the blockade as unjustified and a violation of international law.
Following the development, Iranian exporters have vied for the Qatari market in the absence of Doha's traditional Arab partners.
Qatar's Ambassador to Iran Ali bin Hamad al-Sulaiti thanked Tehran for its assistance to Doha one year after diplomatic and economic sanctions were imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran pioneered aid and humanitarian assistance to the Qatari government and tried to reduce the negative impacts of the siege on Qatari citizens. It opened its airspace to the Qatari planes and rapidly sent foodstuff to make up for the abrupt cut in export of goods by the four countries. It also provided a passage for transferring goods by many countries to the Qatari government,” Sulaiti wrote in a memo.
An Iranian economic delegation, comprising private-sector entrepreneurs and state officials, visited Qatar last month to meet Qatari officials and businessmen for discussing the development of bilateral economic relations.
According to Hossein Hosseini Mohammadi, the head of Bushehr Province Industries, Mining and Trade Organization, bolstering commercial relations with Qatar and resolving problems related to business between the two countries, increasing non-oil exports from the southern Iranian province of Bushehr to Qatar and clearing barriers obstructing trade between Iran and Qatar topped the agenda of the visit.
US sanctions on Iran will not impact Qatar Airways' flights to the Islamic Republic, the airline's boss Akbar al-Baker said last month. He said services to Iran would continue, despite a tightening economic and political squeeze on Iran by Washington.
"Aviation is not a sanctioned industry. Qatar Airways will continue to operate into the cities we are currently operating in Iran," al-Baker was quoted as saying by AFP. "Our flights to Iran will not be affected."
Qatar Airways' Iran destinations include Mashhad and Shiraz, while the airline operates daily flights to Tehran, according to its website.
