TEHRAN- Transit of commodities through Astara border in the northwest of Iran has increased by 34.72 percent during the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2024-January 19, 2025), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, based on a report released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).The IRICA report said that 596,000 tons of goods were transited via this border in the ten-month period of this year, while the figure was 442,000 tons in the first ten moths of the previous year.Based on this report, transit of goods through Iran has increased by 28.79 percent during the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.The IRICA report said that 18.4 million tons of goods were transited via the country in the mentioned ten-month period.Also, as announced by an official with Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization (RMTO), transit of commodities through the roads of Iran is anticipated to reach 17.5 million tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20).Javad Hedayati, the director-general of the Transit Office of the organization, has stated that 15 million tons of goods were transited via the roads of country during the first ten months of the current Iranian calendar year, with a growth of 27 percent as compared to the same period of time in the past year.The official said that the figure should reach 40 million tons per year based on the countrys Seventh National Development Plan.Also, Mehdi Khezri, the deputy for transportation at the organization, has stated that the highest record for transit transport was achieved in the previous Iranian year, with 14.75 million tons of goods carried by 636,000 trucks and trailers.
Of this, over 9.39 million tons were non-oil products.The head of the International Affairs Center of the Ministry of Transport and Urban Development has announced the achievement of the record of 20 million tons of transit via Iran by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20).Amin Taraffo also said: To achieve the goals of the Seventh National Development Plan, which is transit of 40 million tons of commodities via the country per year, we must reach the transit of three million tons per month, which is now 1.5 million tons; of course, our capacity is estimated to be more than this figure.The continuous trend of recent transit records via the country and the increasing interest of governments, traders, and those active in transport sectors from neighboring, regional, and extra-regional countries in the transit and logistics situation of the Islamic Republic of Iran indicate the fruitfulness of the transformational approach of the government to the strategic issue of transit, with emphasis on the development of all-round economic relations with neighbors.As stated by the former Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, the Iran Way initiative made by the current Iranian government, lets the neighboring countries use Iran as a route or a solution that facilitates their access to international waters.Iran Way initiative is the gateway to Iran's land of transit opportunities, the minister has underlined.As previously announced by the Transport Ministry, 10.8 million tons of commodities were transited through the country in the Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20, 2023).Iran is one of the countries with a special status in trade and transit relations due to its strategic location and special geography, as the country is the passage of several important international corridors.Considering its geographical location, Iran can play a significant role in the transit of goods in the region and benefit a lot from its status in this due.Paying attention to upstream documents, especially the country's development plans, and the government's decision to develop transit, paying special attention to infrastructure development, reducing transit time, making it cheaper to cross Iran, and making more advantages over competitors, due to the short path for customers, can lead to facilitating the development of transit so that the country can reach the desired growth in this due.MA