**“Positive Growth in Iran’s Exports to West Asian Neighbors in the First Half of This Year / Improvement in Overall Trade Trends”**

According to the Public Relations Office of the Iran Trade Promotion Organization, Abdolamir Rabihavi presented a report on the country’s trade performance during the first six months of the year, announcing positive export growth to several key neighboring countries in the West Asia region.

The Director General of the West Asia Office at the Iran Trade Promotion Organization first addressed the overall export situation in the first half of the year, stating: The total volume of the country’s exports during this period experienced a negative 2 percent growth compared with the same period last year. However, the important point is that this negative trend has improved significantly compared with the five-month statistics, which had recorded a negative 6 percent growth. We are now witnessing a marked reduction in the negative rate.

He emphasized: This trend shows that we are rapidly moving toward zero and then toward positive growth. This is very good and promising news, and God willing, in the coming months we will witness a positive overall export growth rate.

The Director General of the West Asia Office then highlighted the positive performance of his department during the first half of the year and announced: In the first six months of this year, exports to Türkiye—our third-largest trading partner—grew by 14 percent. This achievement is particularly significant after several months of negative growth.

Rabihavi went on to list the West Asian countries that experienced positive export growth, adding: In addition to Türkiye, exports to Qatar grew by 25 percent, Yemen by 338 percent, Oman by 16 percent, Jordan by 317 percent, and Bahrain by 25 percent during the first half of this year. These countries, within the area covered by the West Asia Office, were the driving engines of our export performance in this period.

He also referred to the import situation during the first half of the year, stating: In the area of imports, we have also seen positive growth from partner countries such as Oman, Qatar, and Lebanon, which has influenced our overall trade balance with these countries.

The Director General of the West Asia Office described these six-month figures as encouraging and expressed hope that: This positive trend—especially in exports to the region’s key markets—is a very promising sign. We expect this growth to continue in the coming months, and that not only exports but also the country’s overall trade balance will move toward more positive figures, enabling us to deliver better news to the public and to the nation’s economic actors.