Tehran and Almaty Discuss Creation of Trade Hub

At a meeting with a delegation from the Tehran Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Сhairman of the Association of Free Economic Zones of Kazakhstan proposed the creation of a joint commodity exchange that would unite Tehran, Almaty and the Khorgos Free Economic Zone (a joint Kazakhstan-China project located on their shared border). This is reported by Tehran Times, a partner of TV BRICS.

The initiative involves the formation of a common market for trade and procurement between the three parties. Tehran Chamber of Commerce delegation led by its President, Mahmoud Najafi Arab, noted that the chamber, which unites about 47,000 companies, is ready to expand cooperation with Kazakh businesses through trade missions, online seminars, and joint business events.

Among the areas discussed was the participation of Iranian companies in industrial and free zones in Almaty, despite the difficulties caused by sanctions. In turn, the head of the regional office of the World Free Zones Organisation in Central Asia, Yerbol Bukharbayev, announced plans to hold an exhibition of Kazakhstan's economic zones in Tehran in 2026 and invited Iranian companies to participate.

The Iranian side expressed interest in joint projects in the field of grain crops. A proposal was also made to use the future trade hub to increase direct deliveries of Iranian saffron to China, where most of the product currently goes through intermediaries.

Ali Akbar Shamani, Deputy Head of Iran’s Customs Administration, proposed introducing a green corridor with Kazakhstan, following the example of Iran's existing agreement with Russia.