Road transit has seen a 35% drop in volume so far in the current Iranian year (started March 20, 2016) compared with the corresponding figure of last year, says secretary of International Transportation Companies Association of Iran.
“The main reason for the decline is the cumbersome regulations and bureaucratic procedures enforced along the borders with neighboring countries,” Gholamhossein Miri was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
Miri pointed to the decrease in road transit with Turkey and Turkmenistan and said Turkmenistan started to increase tariffs on Iranian transit trucks mid-summer.
Iranian officials said the move was against the transport agreements signed by the two sides and would certainly impact Tehran-Ashgabat economic relations.
Tehran and Ankara have also been grappling with a longstanding transit dispute, arising from different fuel prices in the two neighboring countries.
Their common border has frequently been the scene of traffic congestion with transit trucks queuing in lines reaching 15 kilometers at times.
Border security is another issue hindering transit via Turkey. Several Iranian trucks have been the target of arson attacks in Turkey. Ankara blamed armed forces affiliated to Kurdistan Workers’ Party for the attacks.
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