TEHRAN – Iran and Afghanistan have the potential to expand their bilateral trade to around $10 billion, although actual economic exchanges are already considerably higher than official figures suggest, the head of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce said.
Kamaloddin Tohid said on Wednesday that the two countries’ actual trade volume stands at $3 billion to $4 billion, noting that substantial transactions, including family remittances, technical and engineering services and unregistered exchanges, are not reflected in official statistics.
Speaking at a meeting with the head of Kandahar’s Chamber of Industries and Mines and Khorasan Razavi’s deputy governor for economic affairs, Tohid said technical and engineering services exports from the Iranian province to Afghanistan alone could reach at least $500 million annually.
He welcomed recent measures to ease border restrictions but called for their full implementation. Cargo clearance and transfer times, which previously took up to a month, have fallen to two or three days, although further improvements are needed.
Tohid also proposed specialized trade exhibitions and permanent centers to showcase Iranian and Afghan products, while encouraging joint investment in agriculture, food processing and mining.
Kandahar Chamber head Syed Mohammad Sarwar Amani highlighted Afghanistan’s dried-fruit production and mineral resources as promising areas to expand trade. 
Khorasan Razavi Deputy Governor Reza Jamshidi stressed the need for transparent investment regulations and stronger border coordination to unlock bilateral trade opportunities.