Speaking at the first Iran-Russia Trade Development Summit on Wednesday, Dehghan Dehnavi, who is also Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade, stressed the need to increase Iran’s share of the Russian market.
He said the implementation of the Iran-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement since April 2025, which eliminated tariffs on 87 percent of goods, has created a competitive advantage for Iranian exporters.
Dehghan Dehnavi emphasized the importance of continuing economic and trade convergence with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, adding that it is essential to make optimal use of this opportunity, allowing all economic participants and the country’s existing resources to work together to increase Iran’s share of the Russian market.
Referring to the existing capacities for developing exports to Russia, he said that more than $50 billion of Russia’s imports overlap with goods that Iran can export, and activating this capacity can increase Iran’s exports to this country from the current $1 to $2 billion to $10 or even $20 billion.
Meanwhile, Vladimirovich Azarov, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Rasht, said Russia and Iran maintain close cooperation across a wide range of fields and seek to further expand these ties.
Describing the summit’s discussions as useful and constructive, he highlighted the longstanding relations and good-neighborly ties between Astrakhan and Gilan, noting that a trade cooperation agreement between the two regions has been in force since 1994.
The first Iran-Russia Trade Development Summit began Wednesday in Gilan’s Anzali Free Zone to explore trade opportunities and challenges between Iran and Russia, with a focus on Gilan and Astrakhan as key gateways for bilateral trade.
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Oct. 8, 2026, 5:54 p.m.
News ID: 86287058
Bandar Anzali, IRNA – The Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), Mohammad-Ali Dehghan Dehnavi, has called for increasing Iran’s share of the Russian market, saying the country could boost exports to Russia from the current $1–2 billion to as much as $20 billion by tapping into over $50 billion in import opportunities.