KABUL— Iran’s non-oil exports to Afghanistan grew by 31% in the 10-month period from March 20, 2024, to January 19, 2025, compared to the same period the previous year, according to Ruhollah Latifi, spokesperson for the Trade Development Committee of Iran’s House of Industry, Mining, and Trade.
Latifi, quoted by Tehran Times, said Iran exported $1.972 billion worth of non-oil goods to Afghanistan during this period, making Afghanistan Iran’s fourth-largest export destination among neighboring countries.
In a meeting with an Iranian trade delegation in Kabul last August, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, expressed Afghanistan’s interest in attracting Iranian investment to develop its mining sector, expand solar energy projects, and improve railway connectivity.
The Iranian delegation proposed establishing a joint special industrial zone with Afghanistan and held separate discussions with Taliban Acting Minister of Commerce Nooruddin Azizi, advocating for a joint economic-mining zone between the two nations.
Iran’s commercial attaché in Afghanistan, Hossein Roustaei, emphasized the need for new trade models to strengthen Iran’s market presence in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan meets more than 80% of its market demand through imports, with 25% of that supplied by Iran,” Roustaei said during a meeting at the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA).
He noted that Iran exported $724 million worth of goods to Afghanistan in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20–July 21, 2024), marking a 28% increase from the same period last year.
Roustaei identified mining investment, engineering services, smart agriculture, infrastructure development, and renewable energy as key areas for expanded cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan.
