Pakistan reopens Iran border crossing after weeklong closure
Pakistan has reopened the Gabd-Rimdan border crossing in southeastern Iran's coastal region of Gwadar after a weeklong closure, allowing truck traffic carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and essential goods to resume, Iranian officials and media reports said.
Peyman Sanandaji, head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce's Transport Commission, told Mehr news agency that customs clearance problems at some Iran-Pakistan border crossings had been resolved and that exports and imports through Rimdan were now proceeding without restrictions.
According to Fars news agency, trucks carrying LPG and essential goods resumed crossing the border after the reopening.
Islamabad had closed the crossing less than a week earlier for security reasons and to combat smuggling. During the closure, gas prices in Pakistan hit a record high, according to Iranian media reports. Pakistan imports around 7,000 tons of LPG daily from Iran, more than 4,000 tons of which passes through the Gabd-Rimdan crossing. A halt in Iranian energy exports could trigger a fuel crisis in Pakistan, according to Reuters.
Most Iran-Iraq crossings remain open
Elsewhere, most border crossings between Iran and Iraq remain operational, with the Chazabeh crossing in southwestern Iran the sole exception, according to Yahya Ale-Eshaq, head of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce, and Sanandaji. Sanandaji said all other crossings remained open and traffic was continuing without disruption. Chazabeh faces the Al-Sheeb crossing on the Iraqi side. Ale-Eshaq told IRNA on Sunday that the closure was temporary and officials from both countries were working to resolve the issue and restore normal operations. He said keeping the crossing closed was in neither country's interest, adding that statements by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and ongoing discussions between relevant officials indicated that neither side wanted the restrictions to continue. The closure could affect economic ties and commercial activity between the two countries, Ale-Eshaq said, adding that short-term considerations could sometimes lead to restrictions that needed to be resolved through dialogue and coordination.
Since late February, when a US-Israeli coalition launched a 40-day war, Iran has been operating under wartime conditions and facing a maritime blockade from the south. The United States has also imposed sanctions targeting Iran's aviation industry as part of a broader pressure campaign. The measures include secondary sanctions against foreign companies and intermediaries providing Iranian airlines with fuel, airport services, spare parts or other support.
Iraq, however, secured a waiver from US aviation sanctions after its government held talks with Washington to seek an exemption from restrictions on Iran's aviation sector.
Iraqi prime minister warned on Friday that closing Iraq's border with Iran would harm both countries' interests and risk economically isolating Iraq, Al-Iraqiya News reported.
Rail freight routes to Turkey
Iran is also seeking to maintain trade flows through alternative land and rail routes.
Iran's state broadcaster reported on Sunday that the first export shipment using a rail route from northern Khuzestan Province had been dispatched to Turkey via the Razi rail border crossing in northwestern Iran, after completing customs formalities at Shushtar railway station.
The shipment comprised 415 tons of nitrogen-based urea fertilizer worth $147,555, produced by a petrochemical company based in Masjed Soleyman, Khuzestan Province. It was dispatched after export clearance was granted. Behrouz Qarehbeigi, Khuzestan's customs supervisor, described the route's launch as a step toward expanding provincial exports and making greater use of rail transport. He expressed hope that developing alternative routes would help boost exports, create jobs and generate foreign currency earnings. Separately, Iran and Turkey have agreed to accept trucks at border crossings around the clock, seven days a week, without time or numerical limits, as Tehran seeks to expand land transit capacity amid a US naval blockade affecting maritime trade from its southern coast.
The agreement was reached at a meeting between customs officials at Iran's Razi crossing and Turkey's Kapikoy crossing to facilitate the uninterrupted and efficient movement of export and transit shipments, Iran's customs administration said on Friday.
Jaber Ali Zakari, head of Iran's railway company, said on Thursday that work had begun at Razi railway station to expand track and platform capacity, enabling more freight trains to arrive from Turkey and more trains to depart from Tabriz for the neighboring country.