TPO: Engineering exports hit $1.8b, up 140% in defiance of sanctions
Iran’s exports of technical and engineering services rose 140% in the last financial year that began on March 21, 2025, reaching $1.8 billion from $790 million a year earlier, a senior trade official said, according to Mehr news agency.
Sohrab Salimi, director general of knowledge-based products and technical and engineering services at the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO), said such exports are less affected by border, maritime and air sanctions because they are not physically shipped through customs or exit points.
“Service exports have an advantage over goods exports in that they are far less dependent on sectors affected by sanctions,” he said, adding that despite developments in the country last year, exports in this sector still recorded a 140% increase.
He said even under more adverse conditions, the sector could have reached similar levels because pressure tools such as sanctions have limited impact on engineering service exports, which are based on expertise and professional know-how.
Iran’s main destinations for technical and engineering service exports include Commonwealth of Independent States countries such as Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, as well as Oman and Iraq, which are considered key markets.
Salimi said a projected export target of $5 billion in the coming years is achievable provided key requirements are met, including maintaining broad bilateral relations with other countries and restoring normal banking ties, including access to the SWIFT system for financial transfers.
He added that some exporters in the sector have faced issues with the Central Bank due to outstanding debts, and resolving these problems would allow them to resume operations and contribute to expanding exports.