Iran’s trade with neighbors rises to $50b: MP

Tehran, IRNA – Iran’s trade with neighboring countries has increased from 20 billion dollars to 50 billion dollars during the current administration tenure, an Iranian lawmaker said. Asghar Salimi, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s Economic Commission, told IRNA on Monday that the rising trend in international transit through Iran has resumed this year after seven years of slowdown. Salimi highlighted the north-south corridor which connects Russia and Eastern Europe to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, saying that the international pathway has been in the spotlight recently due to Russia’s losing access to Europe because of the war in Ukraine. He said that Iran’s oil production has significantly increased despite the persistence of the US sanctions to an unprecedented level since the full resumption of sanctions by former US President Donald Trump. The lawmaker also praised President Ebrahim Raisi’s success in collecting Iran's claims regarding some neighboring countries’ arrears on gas purchases. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish