Iran launches transit operations at Jask with first shipments from Oman
Iran has officially launched transit operations at the southern port of Jask with the arrival of the first vehicle shipments from Oman, a ports and maritime official said on Sunday.
Hamidreza Mohammad-Hosseini Takhti, director of Shahid Bahonar Port and Eastern Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Administration, said that vehicle transit procedures had become operational at Jask port, according to ILNA.
The new trade route has been launched despite efforts by the US Navy in the Indian Ocean to choke the Iranian economy. Iran’s southern ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman remain under a naval blockade, which US President Donald Trump imposed in mid-April, aiming to pressure Tehran into a peace deal after a 40-day conflict waged by the US and Israel against the country on February 28.
“Following extensive consultations and the issuance of a temporary three-month permit by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, unloading operations for the first phase of these vehicles have begun,” Takhti said.
He added two landing craft carrying imported vehicles had arrived through the port in the initial phase, with each vessel transporting eight vehicles.
“Despite limitations and damage caused by war, suitable port services were being provided at Jask,” the official said, adding that further shipments were expected to arrive in the very near future.
Referring to the significance of the development, Takhti said the special position of the ports on the Iranian coastline along the Sea of Oman, known as Makoran, had become more evident than ever under current conditions.
Located on the Gulf of Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz, Jask has emerged as one of Iran’s most strategically important ports.
The facility serves as the terminus of the Goreh-Jask oil pipeline and forms part of the International North-South Transport Corridor, the multimodal route linking the Indian Ocean with Russia and Northern Europe.
The operational launch at Jask aligns with accelerating trade momentum between the two neighbors. According to Omani statistics, bilateral trade reached approximately $1.33 billion in 2024, up 52% year on year, showing growing commercial links across the Persian Gulf. Omani exports and re-exports to Iran rose 69% to roughly $939 million during the year.
Recent institutional agreements have also laid the groundwork for deeper trade integration. Oman approved a preferential trade agreement with Iran in September 2025, aimed at lowering tariffs and reducing non-tariff barriers, while a separate customs cooperation agreement entered into force the same month to streamline customs procedures and facilitate cross-border cargo movements.