Iranian exports to Syria have seen a significant decline over the past two years, a fact that contrasts with the portrayal by state media in both nations, as stated by Iranian officials.
Abdul Amir Rabihawi, the Director General of West Asia at the Iranian Trade Development Organization, disclosed that Iranian exports to Syria dropped from $244 million in 2022 to $120 million in 2023.
According to the Iranian 90 Economic website, Abdolamir Rabihawi, the director general of the West Asia Organization of Iran Trade Development Organization (ATDO), emphasized that the 2023 statistics do not meet the anticipated level of economic collaboration agreed upon between Iran and Syria.
Ali Asghar Zabardust, the Vice President of the Iranian-Syrian Chamber of Commerce, accused the Syrian side of failing to implement agreements made between Ebrahim Raisi and Bashar al-Assad during President Raisi’s visit to Syria in May 2023. Zabardust particularly highlighted the establishment of a joint bank utilizing local currencies for trade exchanges as an area lacking cooperation.
Zabardust pointed out that the decline in Iranian exports to Syria is partly due to routing through the port of Bandar Abbas to the Syrian coast or through Turkish territory, which escalates shipping costs.
Calling for enhanced collaboration, the deputy chairman of the Joint Chamber of Commerce proposed negotiating with Baghdad to facilitate the passage of Iranian goods through Iraqi territory to the al-Bukamal border crossing with Syria.
Shah Hosseini, the head of Iran’s Foreign Ministry’s Syria office, expressed concern over the significant drop in Iranian exports to Syria, emphasizing that $120 million is an alarmingly low figure.
Hosseini cautioned that unless Iranian goods find acceptance among Syrian traders, exporting to Syria could become increasingly challenging in the foreseeable future, urging action from the Iranian side.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
