Due to political turmoil in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s advance to Nimruz Province neighboring Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province’s Hirmand County, Milak border crossing in this county (known as Zaranj on the Afghan side) has been temporarily closed down.
Milak is the main trade gateway between Iran and Afghanistan.
According to Ayyoub Kord, director general of Sistan-Baluchestan Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, the closure has been enforced since August 5. He has communicated the measure to his counterparts in all Iranian provinces, informing transportation and commercial officials that no export or transit via trucks will be conducted through Milak until further notice, Mehr News Agency reported.
Kord noted that Sistan-Baluchestan’s Traffic Police will prevent the commute of Iranian trucks to Afghanistan through this southeastern border crossing.
Teymour Baqeri, the deputy head of Sistan-Baluchestan’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, told the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development that Iranian trucks carrying commercial commodities on their way back from Afghanistan can return through Milak.
Rouhollah Latifi, spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, also said trade via Milak customs office and Gamshad border market are banned until further notice, Iribnews.ir reported.
In July, trade via two other checkpoints between Iran and Afghanistan, namely Sheikh Abu Nasr Farahi Customs (known as Mahiroud on the Iranian side) and Islam Qala border crossing (Dogharoun), came to a halt after the Taliban seized control.
Latifi said on Saturday Mahiroud and Dogharoun border crossings have reopened and are currently active.
“Although Dogharoun has been operating for about a month now, trade via this checkpoint has seen a 50% decline YOY since it reopened. Meanwhile, trade from Mahiroud has experienced a 50% increase compared with the similar period of last year, but long queues of trucks have formed at the Iranian side of the border,” the official was quoted by ILNA as saying.
“What concerns us is that the future direction of Iran-Afghanistan trade is in no way predictable, if the Taliban’s control over the country continues,” says Hossein Salimi, chairman of Iran-Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce.
Exports to Afghanistan stood at 1.8 million tons worth $728 million in the first four months of the current fiscal year (March 21-July 22), registering a 15% decline in terms of weight and 2% growth in terms of value compared with the corresponding period of last year, according to the IRICA spokesperson.
Iron and steel rods, some agricultural products and foodstuff are among the main products exported from Iran to the neighboring country.
“Afghanistan was Iran's fourth largest export destination among neighboring countries and fifth among world countries in the fiscal 2020-21 [ended March 20],” Iran’s former commercial attaché to Afghanistan, Mohammad Mehdi Javanmard-Qassab, has been quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.