IRU and Iranian road transport sector explore key regional opportunities

IRU member the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), customs authorities (IRICA), the Iran Road Maintenance & Transportation Organization (RMTO) and IRU discussed avenues to improve the efficiency and security of the east-west and the north-south transport corridors by taking full advantage of the TIR system to harmonise transit processes.

IRU also met with ICCIMA’s new President, Hossein Selahvarzi, who reiterated the organisation’s readiness to cooperate with actors across the region and harmonise transport and transit standards to boost regional integration. 

Key areas of cooperation include extending TIR training offered by ICCIMA to Iraq’s road transport sector and building on previous TIR implementation knowledge sharing held in September 2022. 

Iraq became the 78th country to accede to the United Nations TIR Convention in March 2023.

Key port

Bandar Abbas plays a pivotal role as a transit hub in the region, especially in connecting the Caucasus and Central Asia to South and Southeast Asia as well as neighbouring countries. Some 70% of Iran’s trade and transit pass through Bandar Abbas.

IRU visited Bandar Abbas and its Shaheed Bahonar port, meeting with Mohammad Reza Safa, the President of the Bandar Abbas Chamber of Commerce, who expressed the Chamber’s willingness to promote TIR and enhance this strategic port’s transit security. IRU and ICCIMA also held a workshop on the TIR system for public and private stakeholders.

Last December, ICCIMA opened a new TIR centre in Bandar Abbas to better manage growing transit volumes passing through Iran.

Mashhad’s role

Given the key function of Iran’s Khorasan province along the east-west corridor and its operators’ involvement in international transit, IRU and ICCIMA also explored opportunities to improve international transport and transit via Iran-Turkmenistan border crossings with Mohammad Reza Tavakolizadeh, the President of Mashhad Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines. 

IRU and ICCIMA also organised a TIR workshop in Mashhad, participants included public and private sector actors active in the region.

Iran -Turkmenistan border

IRU and ICCIMA also visited Iran’s Loftabad customs point bordering Turkmenistan, where they conducted a workshop on TIR and secure transit, together with Iranian customs, RMTO, IRU member the Turkmen Association of International Road Carriers (THADA), and Turkmen customs. 

The participants highlighted the role of the east-west corridor’s southern part as an alternative route connecting China to Europe and how they can continue harmonising and simplifying procedures to reduce transport times and costs for goods crossing the Iran-Turkmenistan border while reinforcing trade and transit security.

Turkmenistan has taken important steps in recent years to digitalise its customs procedures, such as through the implementation of TIR-EPD. 

The TIR-EPD application, launched in Turkmenistan in September 2022, allows TIR operators to send advance cargo information electronically. This fundamental step, among other efforts, is setting the groundwork for Turkmenistan to join other ongoing digital TIR projects as well as to prepare itself to connect to the international eTIR system.

Furthermore, Turkmenistan opened dedicated TIR-EPD Green Lanes at ten border crossings earlier this year, including at the Artyk, Sarahs and Altyn Asyr borders between Turkmenistan and Iran.

TIR trucks permitted by customs to use TIR-EPD Green Lanes are only subject to the scanning and stamping of their TIR carnets, enjoying express customs control procedures that significantly cut border wait times and transport costs.