Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Farzaneh Sadegh Maloujerdi, announced that Tehran and Islamabad have reached a new agreement aimed at facilitating customs procedures and ensuring smoother truck movement between the two countries. The deal also includes plans to rehabilitate and modernize railway networks linking Iran and Pakistan.

Maloujerdi explained that the cooperation focuses on two main pillars: streamlining customs operations to improve the movement of goods by road, and implementing joint projects to upgrade and expand railway lines between the two neighbors.

She emphasized the importance of Iran-Pakistan relations in the fields of transport and transit, noting that both countries, thanks to their strategic geographic positions, are working on extensive joint programs that cover land, rail, and maritime transport.

Expanding, facilitating trade

According to the minister, the railway cooperation will involve rehabilitating existing lines, while in road transport the focus will be on simplifying customs formalities and improving conditions for truck drivers. On the maritime side, efforts are underway to establish direct connections between Pakistan’s ports of Karachi and Gwadar and Iran’s Chabahar port.

Maloujerdi stressed that these measures will boost bilateral trade volumes, enhance regional transit corridors, and link Pakistan with China, facilitating connectivity between China and Europe through Pakistan and Iran.

On a related note, earlier this year, in September, the 22nd session of the Iran–Pakistan Joint Economic Cooperation Commission was scheduled for September 15-16 in Tehran, with Pakistani Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan leading the delegation.

Khan arrived in the Iranian capital for a three-day visit aimed at strengthening economic and trade ties. He chaired the Joint Economic Commission and co-chaired the Pakistan-Iran Joint Business Forum, according to Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry.

"During the visit, [Khan] will lead the 22nd Session of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission and co-chair the Pakistan-Iran Joint Business Forum. He is also scheduled to hold meetings with key Iranian ministers and senior officials to strengthen bilateral trade and investment cooperation," the ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan expands barter trade with Iran

Pakistan last week announced a new Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) aimed at expanding barter trade with Iran, a move expected to strengthen economic ties between the two neighboring countries.

The announcement was made by Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Tehran, in a post on his official X account on Sunday. He noted that the new SRO was issued by the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following “an exhaustive process of deliberations.”

The ambassador stated that the order takes into account the concerns of the business communities in both Iran and Pakistan, and is designed to facilitate smoother and more effective bilateral trade.

“This SRO will substantially elevate trade and diversify its base,” Tipu said, urging industrialists and business entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the revised mechanism.

Tipu also called on the Chambers of Commerce and Industries of both countries, as well as key trade bodies, to disseminate the guidelines to their members. He emphasized that broader awareness of the order will enable stakeholders to benefit from the “mutually-beneficial trade dividends."