ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Pakistan-Iran trade corridor expanded to six notified routes for goods bound for Iran, while a linked TIR route began carrying Pakistani exports to Central Asia.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce notified the routes through SRO 691 on April 25, 2026. The Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026 covers third-country cargo arriving at Gwadar, Karachi or Port Qasim and travelling to Iran through Gabd or Taftan.
The order requires traders to provide customs security equivalent to applicable import duties. It also permits cargo transfers between containers or between transport modes under the Federal Board of Revenue’s procedures.
The first refrigerated meat shipment for Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was publicly reported on April 10. Pakistan Customs officials said the consignment would enter Iran through the Gabd-Rimdan crossing under the Transports Internationaux Routiers system.
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The route provided an alternative after the Torkham and Chaman crossings with Afghanistan were closed following border clashes in October 2025, disrupting Pakistan’s established access to Central Asian markets.
Pakistan’s Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan and Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh subsequently agreed in Islamabad on June 25 to activate the Pakistan-Iran Joint Transport Committee.
The officials also pledged to address delays in trucks, containers and other border bottlenecks, according to a Pakistani government statement.
Formal commerce remains constrained by limited banking links and international sanctions on Iran. Pakistan temporarily waived financial-instrument requirements for certain land-route exports between March 24 and June 21, according to the Commerce Ministry notification.
