Figures released by the Islamic Republic of Iran customs Administration (IRICA) on Tuesday showed that Iran’s foreign trade had reached $5.798 billion for 10.756 million metric tons (mt) of shipments in the month to April 20.
The figures represented falls of 3% and 12% in value and volume terms, respectively, compared to the same month in 2024, IRICA figures showed.
The figures, which do not include Iran’s exports of crude oil, kerosene, and mazut, showed that Iran had exported some $2.942 billion worth of goods and commodities in the month to late April, up 8% year on year.
Imports into Iran amounted to $2.856 billion in the same period, a decline of 2.3% from April 2024, said IRICA.
It said that petrochemicals had accounted for 15% of the volume and 20% of the value of Iran’s non-oil exports in the first month of the current calendar year.
Its figures showed that liquefied propane, asphalt, and liquefied butane were Iran’s top export earners over the period.
Iran earned $328 on average from 1 mt of export shipments in April, an increase of 0.47% from April last year, while import shipments were worth 1,587 per 1 mt on average in the same month, up 39% year on year, the data showed.
IRICA said Iran continued to import large shipments of gold bars in April, which it said had amounted to $583 million.
Iran posted a trade deficit of $14.6 billion for the calendar year to March 20 amid a significant surge in gold imports that reached more than $8 billion.
MNA