TEHRAN- Samad Hassanzadeh, the Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), said in a meeting with Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, the Pakistani Ambassador in Tehran, that trade between Iran and Pakistan does not have the necessary speed due to different customs mechanisms. He also proposed that Pakistan establish a green border corridor for the electronic transfer of documents.
During this meeting, which was held at the place of ICCIMA in Tehran, while emphasizing the establishment of greater interaction between the private sectors of the two countries, discussions were held regarding what is necessary to reach agreements in the areas of customs, border affairs, and facilitating and expediting the trade process between Iran and Pakistan.
Samad Hassanzadeh, Head of Iran Chamber, while thanking the Pakistani government, especially the Prime Minister, for establishing an understanding between Iran and the United States, said: Because of the several meetings held in Islamabad during the process of reaching these understandings, I must also thank the Pakistani nation. I hope these actions lead to the establishment of peace and security in the region and, on a broader level, among all countries.
Looking at the border regions between the two countries and the capacities that exist in both Iran and Pakistan for defining joint activities, he expressed hope that Iran-Pakistan relations would expand. Hassanzadeh stated: Linking capacities for the benefit of both countries, especially for trade cooperation, is the most important demand being pursued by Iran Chamber.
He believes that ambassadors play a pivotal role in facilitating relations between the private sector and executive bodies, removing obstacles, and providing what is necessary for expanding trade and investment relations. On the other hand, cooperation between Iran Chamber and the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran for developing relations in the energy, petrochemical, food industry, transit, and other sectors between Iran and Pakistan is possible and must be seriously pursued.
The Head of Iran Chamber spoke about the obstacles that have slowed trade relations between Iran and Pakistan, highlighting the lack of efficient financial mechanisms, standards and quarantine issues, and the prolonged detention of containers at Karachi Port, and called for these issues to be resolved. In his view, the accumulation of containers and the lengthy clearance time for goods at Karachi Port, along with rail and road transport restrictions, have caused financial losses to Iranian economic activists.
He also cited the high number of control procedures, the repetition of tests, the lack of logistics infrastructure at some borders, and changes to customs regulations by Pakistan without prior notification as barriers to the prosperity of trade between the two countries. Hassanzadeh criticized the absence of a specific authority in Pakistan to handle disputes arising during trade and called for a defined structure for this purpose and a mechanism for following up on the implementation of agreements made between the two countries. He proposed the creation of a green border corridor that would support the electronic transfer of documents.
Subsequently, the Head of Iran Chamber introduced Hamed Asgari, the Deputy for International Affairs of Iran Chamber, as the representative of Iran Chamber for communication with the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran to pursue issues and resolve trade barriers between the two countries. He also proposed holding regular quarterly meetings to review the implementation process of the agreements.
The Head of Iran Chamber also referred to compiling a list of areas of cooperation and a timeline for realizing these cooperations, adding: The private sectors of the two countries, looking at the existing capacities, have significant opportunities to strengthen relations, and we must, as Iran Chamber and the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran, provide the ground for utilizing these opportunities. He described the visit of a delegation of Pakistani economic activists to Iran coinciding with one of the international specialized exhibitions as an effective measure that could be placed on the embassy’s agenda.
Following this, Hamed Asgari, the Deputy for International Affairs of Iran Chamber, considered the operationalization of the transit corridor between the two countries and reducing the costs of transferring goods to Iran with Pakistan’s cooperation as an important issue that is a priority in Iran Chamber’s actions regarding this country.
Pakistan placed coordination in customs affairs between the two countries on agenda
Following this, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, the Pakistani Ambassador in Tehran, described Pakistan’s efforts to establish an understanding between Iran and the United States as an important responsibility that had to be undertaken. He continued: There is mutual interest in removing obstacles and implementing the agreements that have been made, and we must pursue them. Of course, there has always been uncertainty from the perspective of trade activities, which has created issues that have prevented the strengthening of relations between the two countries. Now, at the Pakistani Embassy, we are trying to eliminate the existing uncertainties.
In response to the obstacles raised by the Head of Iran Chamber, he said: It is possible to resolve these shortcomings and deficiencies. We can extend the operating hours of the borders to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that the private sectors of the two countries can have greater opportunities for cooperation.
The Pakistani Ambassador in Tehran informed of the possibility of implementing the joint cooperation council that had previously been agreed upon by both sides, and called for the expansion of consultations between the private sectors of the two countries.
Regarding customs documents, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui reported that a proposal had been submitted to the Iranian side for coordination and standardization in customs affairs and said: We are waiting for the Iranian side’s response.
He considered close cooperation between Iran Chamber and the economic section of the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran to be necessary and added: Resolving some issues, including banking relations and transit, require time and specific actions that are not within the purview of the embassy or even governments. However, in this regard, we have considered barter trade and are waiting for the Iranian side’s response for the implementation of the barter mechanism between the two countries.
The Pakistani Ambassador in Tehran called for the sharing of ideas and executive plans to resolve existing obstacles.
regarding the problem of container accumulation at Karachi Port, he reported that a green channel and a joint customs mechanism with the Iranian side are on the agenda.
Imran Ahmed Siddiqui raised cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry as a serious demand and said: There is scope for joint activities in the pharmaceutical sector, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and food. On the other hand, a specialized exhibition in the field of food industries will be held in Karachi Port in November 2026, and the presence of the Iranian side at this event is suggested.
MA
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