ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iranian border official on Monday said over one million tons of goods were exported in 2024 through the Tamarchin-Haji Omaran border which crosses into the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil province, marking a 120% increase compared to last year.
“This year, 1.400.000 tons of goods worth more than $570 million were exported from this customs,” Ali Akbar Ashrafi, director general of Tamarchin Piranshahr customs, told the state IRNA news agency.
The Tamarchin border is located 15 kilometers from Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan and borders Haji Omaran in the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil province.
“Given the very short land distance to the pristine market and demand for various goods in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on the one hand… the Piranshahr Tamarchin border has a very good future and prospects for the development of economic relations,” Ashrafi added.
The Haji Omaran border in the Kurdistan Region serves as one of Iran's closest routes to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Iran and the Kurdistan Region enjoy good economic relations, sharing several border crossings. A large number of Iranian companies work in the Region’s various sectors.
Iran is also a major trading partner for Iraq. Since the overthrow of the regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have become two important destinations for Iranian goods.
The mountainous border between Iran and the Kurdistan Region stretches several hundred kilometres. It has four official border crossings - Haji Omaran in Erbil province, Bashmakh in Sulaimani province, Parvizkhan in the Garmiyan administration, and Shushme in Halabja. There are also many unofficial border points.
The Kurdistan Region heavily relies on imports from Iran and Turkey.
