OMM Redaksiyası
Iran is considering leasing port infrastructure to help Afghanistan expand its trade opportunities. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the proposal was raised during official meetings between Iranian and Afghan officials.
According to the ISNA news agency, Baghaei said at a news conference on Monday that a possible lease could be offered on the basis of “good neighborliness.”
“This is, in fact, one of the positive initiatives aimed at developing trade cooperation and strengthening neighborly relations,” Baghaei added.
He said leasing port facilities to landlocked countries is common international practice.
Iranian media reported that talks between the two countries also covered industrial cooperation and bilateral trade.
A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce told the Pajhwok news agency last year that trade between Iran and Afghanistan reached about $3.37 billion in 2025.
Amid tensions along its border with Pakistan, Afghanistan has increased its use of trade routes through Iran. Tehran does not formally recognize the Taliban administration, but Iranian authorities continue diplomatic, economic and security ties with Kabul.
