Iran Declares 18 Percent Jump in Non-Oil Exports in 10 Month
Hemmati said that the country imported $56 billion worth of non-oil goods, reflecting a modest growth of only three percent compared to the same period last year.
During this period, the country imported $6.3 billion worth of gold, he added.
Hemmati stated that Iran's balance of trade surplus, including both oil and non-oil sectors, exceeded $28 billion.
Customs data showed exports increased from $40.4 billion in the same period last year, while imports grew 3 percent to $56 billion.
The increase in non-oil exports comes as Iran has been trying to boost trade with neighboring countries and Asian partners to offset the impact of U.S. sanctions reimposed in 2018 after Washington withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
Figures released in October had pointed to a major month-on-month increase in Iran’s non-oil exports thanks to a surge in shipments delivered to neighboring Iraq.
Foroud Asgari, the head of the customs office (IRICA) said that imports into Iran had also risen to $45.127 billion in the eight months to late November.
He added that the UAE, which is the largest re-exporting hub in the Persian Gulf region, had been the largest supplier of goods and commodities to Iran over the period with $13.6 billion worth of shipments, followed by China at $11.5 billion and Turkey at $7.8 billion.
He added that Iran imported 4.6 billion worth of standard gold bullion, $1.8 billion worth of feed corn, and $1.5 billion worth of mobile phones over the eight months to late November.
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