Official Denies Report on Halt to Iran-Afghanistan Trade
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesperson for the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs quashed rumors that the country’s trade exchanges with Afghanistan have been suspended.
Ruhollah Latifi said on Tuesday that the exchange of commodities through the land border crossings with Afghanistan is in progress and the reports that trade with Afghanistan has stopped are totally false.
He said Iranian trucks continue to enter Afghanistan through Dogharoon and Mahirood border crossings in the eastern provinces of Iran.
“The story about a full halt to the trade with Afghanistan is a rumor and might be suitable for domestic use in Afghanistan for the warring sides,” he added.
The spokesman also explained that only the export of commodities from the Milak border crossing in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan has been suspended.
Once security is restored at Milak, the Iranian trucks stranded at the border crossing can transfer their cargoes to the Afghan trucks for shipment to the final destination, Latifi noted.
His comments came after Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce said on Tuesday that trade with Afghanistan has fully stopped amid rising tensions in the neighboring country, adding that even the Afghan traders have stopped processing Iranian export cargoes destined for Afghanistan.
In the last month, the Taliban overran Afghan areas bordering five countries.
The Taliban say they are in control of 85 percent of Afghanistan after seizing key border crossings with Iran and Turkmenistan.