Exports from Iran fell by 8% in the four months to July 22 compared to the same period last year, according to figures by the country’s customs administration (IRICA).
IRICA figures published on Saturday showed that Iran’s exports had reached a total of $15.906 billion in March-July, down 7.97% against the same period in 2022.
The figures showed that Iranian export shipments had risen by 28.56% in volume terms year on year over the four months to late July to a total of $45.758 million metric tons (mt).
Petroleum products accounted for a bulk of shipments exported from Iran in March-July with liquefied petroleum gas sales generating $1.633 billion in revenues over the period, followed by liquefied propane at $1.14 billion and liquefied butane at $0.823 billion, said IRICA.
China remained the largest customer of Iranian export commodities over the first four months of the Iranian calendar year with some $4.644 billion worth of purchases, followed by Iraq at $2.927 billion and Turkey at some $2 billion, the customs data showed.
IRICA said imports into Iran had risen by 6.18% in volume terms and by 10.82% in value terms year on year in March- July to reach 11.842 million mt worth $19.539 billion.
Main commodities imported into Iran over the four months to late July included animal feed corn with some $1.29 billion worth of shipments, followed by mobile phones at $0.7 billion and soybeans at $0.647 billion, it said.
The customs figures showed that the United Arab Emirates, the largest re-exporting center in the Persian Gulf, had been the largest supplier of goods to Iran over the four months to late July with $5.818 billion worth of exports, followed by China at $5.558 billion and Turkey at $2.09 billion.