Smart trade agreements lead to a significant increase in exports.

According to the Public Relations Department of the Iran Trade Promotion Organization, Amir Roshanbakhsh, Deputy for International Business Development, stated during the Payesh program on strategies for developing foreign trade that tariffs on 87% of goods traded between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have been eliminated.

Roshanbakhsh noted that smart trade agreements lead to a significant increase in exports, adding: “What matters in trade is the average export value — meaning we should export goods with high value and low weight. In the first half of this year, we achieved this by exporting consumer goods to the EAEU while importing raw and semi-raw materials.”

He continued: “Following the signing of the Iran–EAEU Free Trade Agreement, our trade growth has been most prominent with Russia and Armenia. Russia is a strategic partner for Iran, and Armenia shares a common border with us.”

Roshanbakhsh emphasized that Iran’s exports remain largely traditional and experience-based, and said: “The Iran Chamber of Commerce has pledged to cooperate with the Trade Promotion Organization to fund market research in target countries, enabling exporters to engage more effectively in professional export practices.”

He further stressed that Iran is working to align its export standards with those of the EAEU. “In this regard,” he said, “supporting Export Management Companies (EMCs) is a priority, as these firms have strong familiarity with target markets.”

The deputy also announced that the problem of value-added tax refunds for exporters has been resolved through coordination with the Ministry of Economy — a step that will help reduce export-related costs.

Finally, Roshanbakhsh stated that the issue of Iranian engineering and technical companies operating in Iraq has also been addressed with the help of the Central Bank’s president, granting these firms a three-year extension to fulfill their obligations.