Pakistan, Iran to expand trade through Karachi, Gwadar ports

August 05, 2026 (MLN):  Pakistan and Iran have agreed to expand trade and economic cooperation through the ports of Karachi and Gwadar, with the two sides expressing confidence that negotiations on the Iran-Pakistan free trade agreement are progressing well and will be concluded successfully in the near future.

The interest was expressed by Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Atabak, who co-chaired the 10th session of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Trade Committee in Islamabad along with Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, said a press release issued.

The Iranian Minister held that Iran places the highest priority on expanding comprehensive cooperation, particularly with the brotherly nation of Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister for Commerce maintained that operationalizing joint border markets is vital to bolster local livelihoods, noting that the private sector in both Pakistan and Iran trusts each other and stands ready to trade, and that it is the two governments' duty to provide a seamless, structured and predictable environment for them.

He further emphasized the need for finalizing roadmaps that move the economic partnership between Pakistan and Iran to new heights.

Last year, Pakistan had reaffirmed its commitment to deepening economic ties with Iran through the finalization of the long-awaited FTA and had set a $10bn bilateral trade target by 2028.

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