Iran eyes Dayyer port as trade gateway to Qatar
Iran’s commercial attaché in Doha has called for stronger infrastructure and greater official support for Dayyer port in southern Bushehr Province, describing it as a high-potential gateway for expanding trade with Qatar.
Abbas Abdolkhani told IRNA on Wednesday that Dayyer port holds special significance for developing maritime trade between the two countries, citing its geographical position, short sea distance to Qatar, and adequate cargo-handling capacity.
Dayyer port, Abdolkhani said, could become a major hub for Iran’s maritime trade with Qatar, and harnessing this capacity would be an effective step toward boosting exports, lowering trade costs, and deepening economic and commercial ties between the two countries.
Shipping traffic currently runs from Dayyer to Qatar’s Al Ruwais port, with agricultural products, horticultural goods, foodstuffs, and other consumer items making up the bulk of shipments, Abdolkhani said. The sustained daily movement, he added, underscores Dayyer’s considerable potential to support bilateral trade and expand Iranian exports to the Qatari market.
In recent months, Abdolkhani said, a vehicle import route from Al Ruwais to Dayyer has also been activated, which could boost trade volume and variety along the corridor and spur transport and logistics activity.
The attaché emphasized that coordination and synergy among executive bodies are essential for increasing the corridor’s efficiency and streamlining export-import procedures. Sustained cooperation, he said, could further strengthen Dayyer’s role in Iran-Qatar trade.
He cited short sea distance, fast transit times, and ease of cargo movement as Dayyer’s key advantages, adding that these factors could reduce transport time and costs while making Iranian goods more competitive in the Qatari market.
Iran in July resumed exports to Qatar after a wartime halt, with the reopening of Qatar’s Al Ruwais customs terminal allowing shipments from Iran to restart. The US-Israeli war launched against Iran in late February had disrupted shipping and logistics across the Persian Gulf.
The push to develop Dayyer comes as Iran has been seeking to diversify its logistics routes to counter growing restrictions on trade corridors, redirecting cargo operations to northern ports as well as to ports in Pakistan, India, and Oman after activity at Jebel Ali was disrupted during wartime conditions.
Iran had relied heavily on UAE trade routes during the recent conflict, and when the UAE barred even Iranian vessels from loading or unloading cargo at Jebel Ali, a significant portion of trade effectively ground to a halt. The ongoing US naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports has constrained Tehran’s trade options as part of broader efforts to force an agreement following the 40-day war with US and Israeli forces that began in late February.