In the first quarter of 2025, Iran exported non-oil goods valued at $937 million to Turkey, according to Foroud Asgari, head of Iran’s Customs Administration (IRICA). Turkey ranked as Iran’s fourth largest non-oil export destination during this period.
Meanwhile, Turkey remained a key supplier to Iran, exporting $1.986 billion worth of non-oil commodities, making it Iran’s third largest non-oil import source in the same timeframe, Asgari added.
Reflecting on the previous Iranian calendar year ending March 20, 2025, Abolfazl Akbarpour, deputy head of IRICA for planning and international affairs, reported that Iran’s non-oil exports to Turkey reached $6.8 billion. Turkey was Iran’s fourth largest export destination for that year, while exporting $12.4 billion to Iran, securing its position as Iran’s third largest import source.
Amid these growing trade volumes, Iran is actively pursuing deeper economic integration with Turkey through the establishment of a joint free trade zone. Reza Masrour, secretary of Iran’s Free Trade and Special Economic Zones High Council, told Tasnim News Agency on April 14 that a special task force has been formed to address longstanding stalled projects within Iran’s free zones, some inactive for over 15 years.
Masrour emphasized the government’s commitment to expediting investment incentives and fostering closer cooperation with Turkey. “A joint working group between Iran and Turkey will oversee advancing the free trade zone plan,” he said, underscoring the need for strategic reforms in free trade zones to attract and retain investors. A bilateral forum bringing together Iranian and Turkish free zone officials and investors is scheduled for July to further collaboration.
On the transport and logistics front, bilateral trade between Tehran and Ankara surged to $11.8 billion last year and has already surpassed $17.5 billion as of February 2025, according to Iran’s ambassador to Turkey, Mohammad-Hossein Habibollahzadeh. He projected the trade volume could reach $19 billion by year-end.
Speaking during a virtual session of the Iran-Turkey Joint Transport Committee, Habibollahzadeh highlighted significant increases in transit and transport volumes, which have grown by $7 billion this year. He noted that border traffic is substantial, with six million passengers and approximately 330,000 trucks crossing the borders in 2024. In response, both countries agreed to increase border crossings from three to five and are working to enhance rail connectivity and flight routes.
The ambassador praised recent ministerial meetings between Iran’s Ministry of Transport and Urban Development and Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, expressing optimism about future transport and logistics cooperation. Saeed Rasouli, Iran’s Deputy Transport Minister, reiterated the strategic importance of the southern Caspian Sea corridor linking China to Europe, highlighting transit as a focal point in upcoming bilateral talks.
Turkey’s Deputy Transport Minister Durmush Enver reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to expanding transport cooperation, underscoring the need for modern infrastructure and investment. Key priorities include completing the Iran-Turkey railway connection at the Cheshmeh Soraya border crossing and resolving challenges related to road, rail, maritime, and air transport, including tariffs, border crossing facilitation, and fuel pricing for Turkish trucks in Iran.
Additionally, both sides discussed the recently launched Tehran-Van passenger train and plans to extend the route to Ankara and Istanbul, alongside efforts to boost rail freight operations.
In January, Iran’s Minister of Agriculture Gholamreza Nouri Qezeljeh and the head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA), Samad Hasanzadeh, led a large delegation of agricultural and food industry representatives to Turkey for the Iran-Turkey Agricultural Business Forum in Ankara.
The delegation, which included 180 Iranian exporters and producers, focused on removing trade barriers, enhancing export capacity, and fostering bilateral agricultural ties. Minister Nouri Qezeljeh emphasized government support for private sector growth and prioritized modernizing food packaging and streamlining export terminal licensing. He also highlighted the need to resolve customs challenges faced by Iranian exporters in Turkey and called for stable policies to build exporter confidence.
This mission marked one of the largest economic delegations between the two countries, underscoring significant potential for expanded cooperation in agriculture and food industries.
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