60% of Iran’s Exports to Afghanistan Pass Through Dogharoun Border Crossing
The official Dogharoun border crossing in eastern Iran, adjacent to Afghanistan’s Herat province, is recognized as the most significant export gateway for Iranian goods to Afghanistan. According to the head of the Dogharoun Free Trade-Industrial Zone, approximately 60 percent of Iran’s exports to Afghanistan currently pass through this official route.
Mohammad Reza Modoudi, director of the free trade zone, stated during a meeting with his counterpart from Chabahar that over $3 billion worth of goods enter Afghanistan through Dogharoun annually—a figure reflecting the extensive presence and influence of Iranian products in Afghanistan’s 40-million-strong market.
In addition to exports, around one million tons of goods are transited through this border to Afghanistan each year, Modoudi added. He noted that under Iran’s future development plans, this transit capacity is expected to increase to seven million tons annually.
Modoudi also underscored the strategic importance of the Chabahar–Dogharoun transit corridor, saying that connecting these two free trade zones facilitates the movement of goods from Iran’s Makran coast to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. He said this corridor could become a major pillar of Iran’s foreign trade expansion in the East.
Meanwhile, the managing directors of the Chabahar and Dogharoun free zones have reached a preliminary agreement to establish a strategic alliance between the two economic regions. The goal of this pact is to expand commercial cooperation, strengthen sustainable economic ties, and boost transit and non-oil exports.
Despite these economic advances on the Iranian side of the border, the Taliban administration in Afghanistan has yet to implement any coherent economic policy or program. Persistent security challenges, lack of transparent governance, and the absence of a clear economic vision have hindered Afghanistan’s ability to fully capitalize on the potential of this vital trade route.
