Iran’s newly signed free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is poised to fundamentally reshape its trade ties with Kazakhstan, according to a senior Iranian business official.
Amir Abedi, head of the Iran-Kazakhstan Joint Chamber of Commerce, said the deal transforms a previous preferential trade arrangement into a full free trade regime, granting Iran unprecedented access to the EAEU’s 180-million-strong consumer base – with Kazakhstan positioned at its geographic and logistical heart.
“The CIS markets, including Kazakhstan, offer a stable environment suitable for long-term trade planning,” Abedi said, citing relative regional stability as a key asset. He described Kazakhstan as Central Asia’s largest country by area and foreign investment draw, strategically located at the crossroads of east-west and north-south transit corridors with well-developed transport infrastructure.
According to Abedi, transit routes crossing Kazakhstan cut shipping times by nearly half, reducing logistics costs and final goods prices. The Caspian Sea corridor via Iran’s northern ports to Aktau is a key export route, while rail and road links at Incheh Borun and Sarakhs provide access to eastern Kazakhstan.
Under the new agreement, tariffs on 87% of Iranian export goods to Kazakhstan have been eliminated, with duties on remaining items set for gradual removal – a dramatic shift given Kazakhstan’s typically high import tariffs on agricultural and food products.
Abedi noted that nearly 50% of Kazakhstan’s population is Muslim, creating clear openings for Iranian halal products. Edible fruits, led by pistachios, account for about 40% of Iran’s current exports to Kazakhstan, with some pistachios re-exported to Russia.
Key Kazakh import sectors include machinery, vehicles, electronics, iron and steel products, pharmaceuticals, plastics, apparel, and chemicals. Abedi said Iran holds significant export advantages in plastics and certain downstream petrochemical segments, as well as in food and agriculture.