Iran and Uzbekistan are strengthening economic ties, with bilateral trade reaching about $280 million in the first five months of this year despite regional uncertainties. Tehran’s commercial attaché in Tashkent, Rahmatollah Khormali, says agriculture, technology, and joint investment are the main drivers. A 120-member Iranian delegation, led by the agriculture minister and including experts in farming, aquaculture, machinery, and processing, recently traveled to Uzbekistan to explore new business.
Uzbekistan is Iran’s second-largest export market among CIS states. Food security offers fresh opportunities: Uzbekistan has a dedicated agency covering livestock, poultry, quarantine, and food products. Iranian exports already include citrus, apples, kiwis, pistachios, dates, dairy, powdered milk, and fish feed, with room to diversify.
Technology ties are also growing. About 30 Iranian projects worth $770 million are underway in Uzbekistan, spanning agriculture and other sectors. Khormali argues that more trade delegations and closer contact between businesspeople can sustain growth. The envoy stressed that exchanges have not fallen, and he expects the upward trend to continue in the coming months. For Iran’s private sector, Uzbekistan offers a sizable Central Asian market; for Uzbekistan, Iran offers agricultural goods and technical expertise. Both sides appear eager to turn those complementarities into bigger trade volumes.
