Pakistan Reopens Border with Iran for Partial Trade

Pakistan resumed partial cargo traffic at its border with Iran on Monday after a suspension that began on October 17.

The two crossings, Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan in Balochistan province, are the main route for goods and people moving between the two neighbors. On a typical day, hundreds of freight trucks pass through these checkpoints. The Pakistani government halted cargo traffic citing security risks on the day the suspension began. By Monday, some goods had started moving again, according to local trade officials.

Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that trade partially resumed over the weekend. Border officials cleared consignments that had been dated October 16 or earlier. Haji Noor Muhammad Shahwani, central president of the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association, confirmed that Pakistani exports including rice and bananas were crossing the border. He also noted that Iranian trucks loaded before the closure, carrying liquefied petroleum gas, were entering Pakistan slowly. Rizwan Ahmed, a customs clearing agent near Gabd-Rimdan, said customs authorized agents to file declarations for stranded trucks. He added that his own consignment of rice, potatoes, and bananas had just left.

Iran officials stated that changes to Pakistan's import paperwork are holding up its cargo. Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, said on X that Iran had placed no restrictions on exports. He wrote that changes in the implementation of Pakistan's E-Form procedure have made it difficult for traders to dispatch cargo. The E-Form is used to record imports and payments through banks. A memorandum from Pakistan's Commerce Ministry dated October 16 withdrew a previous waiver for this form. The Iranian envoy said consultations were underway and that several hundred LPG trucks had crossed but were not yet cleared.

Shahwani said the unloading problem had not been resolved, attributing the delay to banking issues related to international trade. Bakhtiar Ismail, deputy commissioner of Chagai, wrote on X that the closure was a temporary measure to improve border management and support counterterrorism efforts. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited technical issues for the delay.

The trade halt occurred amid a deteriorating security situation in Balochistan. Gunmen attacked trucks near the Gabd crossing on Thursday. The military said it killed 10 attackers in operations around Gabd and Gwadar city, while one civilian died. Balochistan accounted for 131 of the 225 armed attacks recorded nationwide in September, the highest monthly total in 12 years. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said it adheres to applicable sanctions regimes but did not confirm whether the US had pressured Pakistan over the closure.

Pakistan has mediated between Washington and Tehran since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28. The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and wide-ranging economic sanctions to cut off Iranian revenue. Imtiaz Baloch, a security analyst, said the US policy of maximum pressure likely had a direct or indirect influence on the closure. He noted that no concrete statement has linked the border closure to US economic policy.