Noting that the new transportation route has been created by Iranian private-run companies, Abbas Abdolkhani added that earlier, Iranian fruits were exported to Oman via Sharjah in the UAE, but the opening of a direct transport route to Oman will help increase Iran’s exports to the neighboring country, ILNA reported.
There are currently four shipping routes between Iran and Oman, namely Jask-Suwaiq, Bandar Abbas-Sohar, Khorramshahr-Sohar and Bandar Abbas-Suwaiq.
The fourth direct marine route was established in December 2018, between Iran’s Jask Port and Oman’s Suwaiq Port to transport wholesale Iranian commodities to Oman using containers, according to Financial Tribune.
Another important direct shipping line between Oman’s Sohar Port and Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port on the shores of the Strait of Hormuz also resumed activity in December last year, after the commercial vessels along this marine route had halted operations from early November after the new round of US sanctions against Iran came into effect.
According to Iran's Ambassador in Muscat Mohammad Reza Nouri-Shahroudi, the development of marine transportation between the two countries is aimed at boosting Tehran-Muscat economic interactions.
According to Nouri Shahroudi, Iran’s trade with Oman reached $700 million during the 11 months of the last Iranian year (March 21, 2018-Feb. 22), of which $250 million accounted for Iran’s imports from the Arab country.
Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration’s data put the value of bilateral trade higher at $1.11 billion.
According to IRICA, Iran exported $701.09 million worth of non-oil goods to Oman and imported $413.17 million in return.
The data further show Iran experienced with Oman the biggest rise both in exports and imports from among 15 neighboring countries, namely the UAE, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Oman, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“Expansion of marine transportation between the two countries, facilitation of visa issuance and an increase in Iranian companies established in Oman are among the main reasons for the increase in bilateral trade,” Abdolkhani said.