Russians have promised to cut import tariffs on Iranian goods during the 12th session of Iran-Russia Economic Commission held in Moscow earlier this month, announced the head of Iran-Russia Chamber of Commerce on Saturday. “Until Iran joins the World Trade Organization, heavy duties are levied on Iranian goods. This has led to the decrease of direct exports to Russia,” IRNA quoted Asadollah Asgaroladi as saying. “Russia offers zero-tariff on items it imports from its neighboring countries, so Iranian goods are first transferred to one of these countries and then dispatched to Russia. The approach is not acceptable to us.” The latest figures show Iran exported 296,422 tons of goods worth $92.5 million to Russia in the seven-month period leading to October 22, which registers a 52.52% drop in terms of weight and a 40.85% decline in terms of value compared with the same period of last year.
