It was reported that more than 3,700 cargo trucks were stuck at Iran's borders with Turkey and Pakistan. At one crossing with Turkey, 3,700 trucks were stranded on the Iranian side. Drivers sometimes wait more than three weeks to cross the border, carrying cargo including iron ore, cement, and gas.

A Turkish truck driver stated that wait times at the border on the return trip can reach 24 days. An Iranian trucker stated he spent 23 days waiting at a crossing along the Afghanistan border in mid-June 2026. The Union of Truckers and Drivers Organizations Across Iran stated drivers went days without access to food, water, or sanitation while contending with 120-degree heat.

Majidreza Hariri, head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce, noted the financial burden of these delays. Transporting a single container between Iran and China via ship costs approximately $3,000, whereas transporting it over land costs approximately $12,000. Hariri estimated that relying on land routes would add about $18 billion in annual transportation costs.

Hariri predicted that relying on land routes would eventually cause the economy to "grind to a halt." Two million containers pass through Iran’s southern ports annually, but those corridors are now restricted. A member of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce said, ""Under these circumstances, there is little alternative but to find a way to restore and maintain the southern trade corridors."" through the Gulf.

Tehran implemented gasoline price hikes to curb demand during shortages. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has expressed concern about the economy. President Donald Trump is using economic measures to seek an end to the conflict. Lack of warehouses and proper registration processes have limited rail transport capacity at the border with Turkmenistan.

Iran’s trade with Turkey increased 19% to $3.2 billion during the first half of 2026. Transits along the Caspian Sea increased by 70% in the five months prior to September 2026. Tehran imported wheat, corn, and cooking oil from Russia via the Caspian Sea.

Train shipments to eastern China are operating every three to four days, compared to once-a-week pre-war levels. Border terminals with Iraq were temporarily closed over the weekend due to an attack on Saudi Arabia’s pipeline from within Iraq.

Why It Matters

The shift to overland trade routes has resulted in massive delays and a sharp drop in both exports and imports, straining an economy already facing 90% inflation. The 2025–2026 Iranian protests were a series of nationwide demonstrations against the government of Iran that began on 28 December 2025 during a deepening economic crisis. The unrest followed a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial, rising inflation, and widespread shortages linked to international sanctions and government mismanagement.

Mohammad Reza Khodarahm is an import-sector expert who operates within this constrained environment. The scale of the disruption is evident in the fall of non-oil exports from $45 billion in the previous fiscal year to $15 billion in recent months. The reliance on land routes adds billions in transportation costs, threatening further economic contraction and social instability.

Timeline

Iran’s non-oil exports fell by nearly 30% to $15 billion as of August 16, 2026, according to Tehran’s records. Iranian non-oil exports fell 28% year-over-year to $15 billion in the five months ending August 22, 2026. Iran’s oil exports dropped to approximately 210,000 barrels a day in August 2026.

August 2026 oil export levels were the lowest since 2020 and nearly 10% of pre-war levels. The U.S. military supported the transit of 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the two months prior to September 13, 2026.

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Mohammad Reza Khodarahm is an import-sector expert.