WANA (Nov 26) – Iran’s non-oil exports grew by 18% during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year, according to the latest foreign trade statistics.

 

Faroud Asgari, the Deputy Minister of Economy and head of Iran’s Customs Administration, stated that non-oil exports reached $38.152 billion, marking an 18% increase compared to last year. Meanwhile, the country’s total imports, including gold bullion, amounted to $45.127 billion.

 

In terms of weight, imports declined by 1.73% to 24.525 million tons, while non-oil exports weighed 103.558 million tons, a 14.66% increase year-on-year. The average value of exported goods rose by 3% to $368 per ton.

 

Asgari highlighted significant growth in the petrochemical sector, which accounted for 44.9 million tons of exports worth $17.5 billion, showing a 31.43% increase in weight and a 29.79% rise in value compared to the previous year.

 

Major Export Destinations

China remained Iran’s largest export market, with purchases worth $9.9 billion, followed by Iraq ($8.3 billion), the UAE ($4.8 billion), Turkey ($4.4 billion), Afghanistan ($1.6 billion), Pakistan ($1.5 billion), and India ($1.2 billion). These seven countries accounted for 82.29% of the total export weight and 82.94% of the total export value.

 

Leading Import Partners

On the import side, the UAE topped the list with $13.6 billion, followed by China ($11.5 billion), Turkey ($7.8 billion), Germany ($1.6 billion), Russia ($1.1 billion), India ($1 billion), and Hong Kong ($900 million). Collectively, these countries contributed 76.42% of the import weight and 83% of the total import value.

 

The main export items included liquefied natural gas ($5.1 billion), liquefied propane ($2.2 billion), and methanol ($1.7 billion). Major imports were gold in raw form ($4.6 billion), corn for animal feed ($1.8 billion), and smartphones ($1.5 billion).

 

The average customs value of imported goods reached $1,840 per ton, reflecting an 8% increase compared to last year.