TEHRAN - Spokesman for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Exporters Union Hamid Husseini said Iran’s exports to Afghanistan are taking place without any halt while the Taliban has reduced its customs tariffs on Iranian goods.
“Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the borders of Khorasan Razavi, Southern Khorasan, and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces are open and Iranian exports to Afghanistan were underway,” Husseini said.
“Petrochemical and hydrocarbon products are exported to Afghanistan and the Taliban has reduced customs tariffs by 70 percent for Iran,” he added.
Iran resumed exports of fuel to Afghanistan after increased demands and 70% decrease in customs tariffs.
New provincial governors appointed by the Taliban have requested critical deliveries of oil products to resume, Husseini said last week.
They have cut customs tariffs for imports of diesel, petrol and gasoil by as much as 70 percent, he added.
Iran is a key fuel provider to its eastern neighbor, but the Taliban’s recent capture of border provinces disrupted supplies.
Iranian customs officials said that all of the country’s borders with Afghanistan have reopened and goods are transiting safely. The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) lifted a ban on fuel exports to Afghanistan, which had been in place since August 6.
Husseini confirmed that Iran’s fuel exports to Afghanistan have resumed, including through South Khorassan province’s border.
“The problem we’ve had in Afghanistan is corruption and taking costs from traders,” Husseini said.
“The Taliban could help here and they can make sure that Afghan customers then get goods at a lower price.”
According to the official, Iran exported 274,000 tons of gasoil and 80,000 tons of gasoline to Afghanistan last year.
Afghan traders also buy Iran’s intermediate petroleum product raffinate, heavy and light hydrocarbons and blend them in Afghanistan to produce fuel.
Iran is Afghanistan’s largest trading partner, with around $2 billion in bilateral trade each year, nearly a third of Afghanistan’s total trade volume. They share a 570-mile border that includes several lucrative trade routes.
Last December, the two countries marked the opening of their first shared railway network, linking the Iranian city of Khaf with the Afghan town of Rozanak about 150 kilometers away.