Iran Trade - The Times Of Central Asia

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Cross-Border Trade

Turkmenistan Renovates Customs Post on Border with Iran

Turkmenistan took steps to expand economic ties with Iran this week, completing the upgrade of a customs checkpoint on the border with its neighbor to the south and hosting an Iranian cabinet minister. The modernization of the Sarahs Autoyollary customs post at the Turkmen-Iranian border follows upgrades earlier this year at the Artyk post, also on the border with Iran, and the Garabogaz checkpoint, on the northern border with Kazakhstan, according to Turkmenistan’s State Customs Service. It said improvements to the Sarahs Autoyollary post, which is located at “the intersection of several international transport corridors,” include renovated buildings and a digital monitoring system that will help agents process vehicles and goods faster and more reliably. Meanwhile, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov discussed the expansion of Turkmen-Iranian trade in a meeting with Farzaneh Sadegh, Iran’s roads and urban development minister, in Ashgabat on Monday, Turkmenistan’s state media reported. The Iranian ministry said Sadegh and top Turkmen officials discussed joint projects in transportation, energy, electricity, and infrastructure development. Iran is a significant economic partner for Turkmenistan and other Central Asian countries that are trying to diversify and expand trade corridors to foreign markets, although Iran’s conflict with the United States has highlighted the vulnerability of transit through Iranian territory. Earlier this month, Iranian officials alleged that a U.S. strike hit a railway bridge on a northern Iranian line crossing into Turkmenistan, although there was no independent confirmation. Iran later said it had repaired the tracks and trains were running again. On Monday, Turkmenistan criticized an attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea that the Iranian government blamed on Ukraine, which has acknowledged strikes on vessels in the sea that were allegedly carrying military cargo linked to Iran and Russia. The Caspian Sea is critical to Turkmenistan's ambition to play a larger role in the Middle Corridor, a trade network linking Asia and Europe via Central Asia and the Caucasus.

agricultural exports

Kazakhstan’s Agricultural Exports to Iran Nearly Double in 2025

Kazakhstan’s agricultural exports to Iran nearly doubled in 2025, driven by a sharp increase in grain shipments, Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov said during talks with Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Seyyed Mohammad Atabak. According to Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Ministry, agricultural trade between the two countries rose 55.8% year-on-year to $342 million in 2025, accounting for 79% of total bilateral trade. Exports of Kazakhstan's agricultural products increased 97% to $238.5 million. Grain exports more than doubled to 1.1 million metric tons, valued at $225.3 million, Saparov said. “Kazakhstan attaches special importance to expanding cooperation with Iran in the agricultural sector. Our markets complement each other, as demonstrated by the steady growth in bilateral agricultural trade,” he said. The ministers discussed prospects for expanding trade in agricultural products, investment cooperation, and the development of joint projects in the agro-industrial sector. Particular attention was given to increasing Kazakhstan's exports of grain, beef, and lamb that meet international veterinary and halal standards. The two sides also highlighted the potential for expanding supplies of vegetable oils and other food products to the Iranian market. Atabak said Iran was interested in expanding economic ties with Kazakhstan, including through increased agricultural trade, improved transport links, and joint processing projects. “Kazakhstan is an important partner for Iran in the region. We are interested in increasing bilateral trade, expanding agricultural supplies, developing logistics routes, and implementing joint projects in processing and agro-industrial cooperation,” he said. Saparov also invited Iranian investors to participate in projects involving agricultural production and value-added processing, including grain and oilseed processing facilities. The growth in agricultural trade comes despite disruptions to some bilateral projects earlier this year. In April, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov said several joint projects with Iran had been suspended because of military hostilities there. Trade ties have nevertheless continued to expand. In May, Kazakhstan's vegetable oil producers launched pilot shipments of rapeseed and sunflower oil to Iran via the Caspian Sea, opening a new export route for the sector. Kazakhstan and Iran have set an ambitious target of increasing bilateral trade to $1 billion in the coming years, with plans to double that figure over the longer term, following agreements reached during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Astana last year.

Vegetable Oil Exports

Kazakhstan Begins Vegetable Oil Exports to Iran via Caspian Route

Vegetable oil producers in Kazakhstan have launched a new export route to Iran across the Caspian Sea, completing several trial shipments of rapeseed and sunflower oil in spring 2026, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture said. According to Kazakhstan’s National Association of Oilseed Processors (NAOPK), the first shipment, consisting of 5,000 tons of rapeseed oil, departed from the Port of Aktau on April 4. The buyer was the Iranian company Kourosh Food Industry, while the supplier was one of Kazakhstan’s largest oil-processing plants affiliated with the association. On May 13, loading was completed for a second vessel carrying 5,000 tons of sunflower oil. The Agriculture Ministry said the shipments demonstrate strong interest among Iranian importers in products from Kazakhstan and point to the potential of the Caspian export corridor. NAOPK Chairman Yadykar Ibragimov said the Iranian market holds significant potential for exports of Kazakhstan’s oil and fat products. According to Ibragimov, Iran imports around 3.5 million tons of vegetable oils and oilseed meal annually, including approximately 1.5 million tons of vegetable oils. “Our countries share a border across the Caspian Sea and also benefit from a preferential customs regime under the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran,” Ibragimov said. He noted that Kazakhstan exported more than 100,000 tons of oil and fat products to Iran over the past three years, with around 94% consisting of oilseed meal. “The launch of vegetable oil transshipment through the Port of Aktau will significantly increase supply volumes,” he added. According to association estimates, the Aktau route could handle three to four shipments per month, allowing annual exports of 150,000-200,000 tons of vegetable oil through the new corridor. In the longer term, exports of vegetable oils and oilseed meal to Iran could exceed 500,000 tons annually. Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Ministry said development of the route will help diversify export destinations and reduce pressure on existing logistics corridors. “The launch of this new supply channel will help move closer to the goal of increasing the sector’s foreign currency revenues to $1 billion, as outlined in the 2026-2028 Road Map,” the ministry said. Kazakhstan previously reported record sunflower oil exports: between January and October 2025, the country exported more than 523,000 tons of sunflower oil worth approximately $532 million. Authorities aim to position Kazakhstan among the world’s top three vegetable oil exporters. At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov said in April that several joint projects between Kazakhstan and Iran had been frozen amid military tensions in the region. Despite geopolitical tensions, Astana and Tehran continue expanding trade and economic cooperation. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kazakhstan and Iran aim to increase bilateral trade turnover to $1 billion in the coming years, with plans to eventually double that figure.