US-Iran trade rises 47% in Q1 2026 despite import decline
Total trade in goods between the United States and Iran surged by 47% in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier to $16.2 million, according to US Census Bureau data cited by Iranian media.
US exports to Iran climbed 53% to $15.8 million in the January-March period, while imports from Iran fell 42% to $400,000, the data showed.
Despite the quarterly increase, bilateral trade remains minimal in the context of both countries’ global commerce. Iran ranked 164th among destinations for US exports and 195th among sources of US imports in the first quarter of 2026.
Iranian news agency Tasnim, citing the Census Bureau figures, noted that trade dynamics shifted in March 2026, a month marked by US-Israeli war on Iran that broke out in late February. During that month, US exports to Iran totaled $1.2 million, down 64% from $3.4 million in March 2025, while imports from Iran rose to $300,000 from $100,000 a year earlier.
Eqtesad-e Moaser, another Iranian outlet, similarly reported the monthly decline in US exports against the backdrop of the conflict, while highlighting the threefold increase in imports from Iran during the same period.