**The Tenth Meeting of the Working Group on the Law for the Regulation and Oversight of Border Trade Held**

According to the Public Relations Department of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO), Mohammad Ali Dehghan Dehnavi, Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran and Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, emphasized during the tenth meeting of the Working Group on Article 4 of the Law on the Regulation and Oversight of Border Trade that the implementation of this law—covering porterage (kolbari) and small-scale maritime trade (malavani)—is essential, noting that “this process serves as a substitute for smuggling.”

He added: “As citizens of this country, we all expect our officials to safeguard public health. However, many goods—such as cosmetics and hygiene products—enter the country through smuggling, with no supervision over their entry process. If we can regulate this matter within a legal framework, it will benefit everyone. Relevant bodies, including the Food and Drug Administration, should approach this law from this perspective. In effect, the law prevents the zero-supervision situation currently governing the import of such goods and brings them under a lawful, regulated process.”

Dehghan Dehnavi further stressed that all relevant agencies must actively follow up on the implementation of this law, stating: “The law must be executed, and organizations should prepare their operational guidelines with a constructive, rather than restrictive, approach. This will enable us to present the necessary instructions at the upcoming sessions of this working group. If this goal is not achieved, we must request that members of Parliament, based on their legal duties and supervisory role in this working group, pursue the matter within the Islamic Consultative Assembly.”

Serious Commitment of All Relevant Bodies in the Working Group

During the session, Gholamhossein Zarei, Secretary of the Economic Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated: “One of the landmark pieces of legislation in the history of Parliament is the Law on the Regulation of Border Exchanges and Porterage. Until last year, these activities were considered smuggling and were not subject to any oversight. The efforts of the Government, Parliament, related agencies, and the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran in this regard deserve appreciation.”

Zarei emphasized that “the philosophy behind forming this working group is that its members should be ministers or deputy ministers approved by the group itself. Given the sensitivity of this issue, the law requires that it be taken seriously by all member institutions. Avoiding administrative bureaucracy and strictly adhering to binding resolutions are crucial for achieving results as soon as possible.”

Avoiding Unfounded Excuses by Working Group Members in Addressing Porterage and Maritime Trade Issues

In continuation of the session, Hakem Memkan, Spokesperson of the Economic Commission of Parliament, underscored the importance of the Law on the Regulation and Oversight of Border Trade (Porterage and Maritime Trade), noting that it is a law with a defined implementation timeframe. He said: “If each organization delays this process for several months, the opportunity will be lost for the porters and small-scale seafarers. The absence of certain institutional representatives in this working group must be explained, as it disrupts the progress of our work. Some organizations claim they cannot participate because it is impossible to record sources through this mechanism, but such issues must be resolved. Unfounded excuses should not hinder the purpose and continued activities of this working group, which aims to solve the challenges of porterage and maritime trade in the country.”

During the session, Morteza Ahmadi, Deputy for Planning and Regulations at the TPO, emphasized: “The adoption of this law should be viewed in comparison to the smuggling and illegal entry of goods into the country, not to official imports. Therefore, repealing this law would mean a return to the path of smuggling.”

Decision on Increasing the Second-Year Commercial Profit Rate in Porterage and Maritime Trade Procedures

Ahmadi further stated that it was decided that the members of the working group would present their views—within one week—regarding the implementation of Note 1 of Article 2 of the Law and Article 16 of its Executive Regulations, and in support of domestic production, on the proposed increase in the second-year commercial profit rate under the porterage and maritime trade mechanism:

• 30% for specific items similar to domestically produced goods (such as household appliances, textiles, yarns and fabrics, and cosmetics and hygiene products), and
• 10% for other items.

He added that other provisions of the Executive Regulations were also reviewed and discussed with the participating members during the session.