TEHRAN –Spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Seyyed Rouhollah Latifi said on Monday that Iran and Afghanistan borders have resumed their activities after a temporary closure due to internal development inside Afghan soil.
Latifi said, “As the conflicts were inside Afghanistan, Iranian organizations based at these borders continued to operate under international conventions and laws.”
“During this period, exchanges at some borders have not decreased, rather, they have increased”, Latifi said, adding that for example, a significant increase in trade level was witnessed at the Mahirud border in South Khorasan province.
It is noteworthy that currently 48% of the total trade between the two countries is done through this border, which was about 30% in the past, he also noted.
But the situation on the Dogharoon border in Khorasan Razavi province is different, Latifi said, adding, “Due to concerns raised about the Herat conflict, trade level has fallen by about 50 percent in recent days.”
In the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year, 1.801 million tons of goods worth $ 728 million were exported to Afghanistan, he said.
According to Latifi, despite the domestic developments in this country, Afghanistan is still the fifth destination of Iran’s exports after China, Iraq, UAE, and Turkey.