Iran-EU trade totals 1.4b euros in first eight months of 2026
Trade between Iran and the European Union totaled 1.414 billion euros in the first eight months of 2026, down 27% from a year earlier, while trade between Iran and Germany, the bloc’s largest trading partner for Tehran, fell 18% to 461 million euros, Eurostat data showed.
According to Eurostat data cited by Eqtesad-e Moaser, total trade between Iran and the EU’s 27 member states amounted to 1.414 billion euros from January to August 2026, compared with 1.939 billion euros in the same period a year earlier.
EU exports to Iran fell 25% year-on-year to 1.147 billion euros from 1.544 billion euros, while imports from Iran declined 32% to 267 million euros from 395 million euros.
Germany remains Iran’s largest EU trading partner
Trade between Iran and Germany totaled 461 million euros in the first eight months of 2026, down 18% from the same period a year earlier, according to Eurostat.
German exports to Iran amounted to 347 million euros, down 20% year-on-year, while imports from Iran totaled 114 million euros, a decline of 13%.
Despite the downturn, Germany remained Iran’s largest trading partner among EU member states.
EU trade with Iran falls further in August
In August, the European Union exported 166 million euros worth of goods to Iran and imported 33 million euros worth of Iranian goods.
EU exports to Iran fell 35% from August 2025, when they totaled 258 million euros, while imports from Iran declined 41% from 56 million euros.
Despite tensions stemming from the US-Israeli war against Iran, the decline in trade does not appear to have been significantly linked to the conflict.
Eurostat data show that trade between Iran and the EU fell 27% following the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February, totaling 574 million euros from March to June 2026, compared with 786 million euros in the same period a year earlier.
However, bilateral trade had already declined by around 24% in the first two months of 2026, before the conflict began. This suggests that the escalation of tensions, including those surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, did not significantly alter the existing trade trend.
Economic sanctions have been the main factor behind the decline, gradually weakening trade relations between Iran and the EU.