A total of 479,195 tons of commodities worth $1 billion transited through Bashmaq border crossing located in the western Kurdestan Province during the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 20-Aug. 21).
According to Superintendent of Kurdestan Customs Administration Bakhtiar Rahmanipour, the figures show Bashmaq ranked first in goods transit among all Iranian border crossings during the period under review, IRNA reported.
The official added that 90% of Kurdestan Province's foreign trade pass through Bashmaq, which is located in Marivan County of the province.
One of Iran’s main border crossings with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Bashmaq is one of the few that has been open all along despite the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Iraq closed its land borders with Iran in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in early March.
Amid restrictions imposed by the Iraqi government on cross-border trade due to the spread of the new coronavirus, Iran has been directing the bulk of its exports to the neighboring country through borders with the Iraqi Kurdistan, mainly via Bashmaq, Parvizkhan and Tamarchin.
The map shows main border crossings between Iran and Iraq.
Iraq is the biggest destination of Iran's exports among its neighboring countries.
About 8.1 million tons of goods worth $3.8 billion were exported from Iran to Iraq through the Iraqi Kurdistan Region during the last fiscal year that ended on March 19, 2020.
The exports accounted for 42% of Iran’s total exports to Iraq in terms of value and over 31% in terms of tonnage during the period under review, Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Rouhollah Latifi was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.