Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) said the trade volume between Afghanistan and Iran is increasing, but US sanctions on Tehran will affect trade relations between the two neighboring countries. 

Iran is the biggest trade partner of Afghanistan, CEO of ACCI Atiqullah Nusrat said, adding that Afghan traders are interested in increasing trade volume with Iran and with India through Iran. 

“This is worrying. We do not know on which sectors the sanctions will be imposed. We have shared our concerns with the US embassy’s economic department in Kabul, but they have no knowledge about it,” said Nusrat. 

Ministry of Commerce and Industries meanwhile said Afghanistan will continue trading with regional countries, including Iran, based on national interests. 

The ministry’s spokesman Musafir Qoqandi said Afghanistan will continue its efforts to prevent any problems that affect its trade relations with countries in the region. 

“These sanctions might affect Iran’s economy, but we, based on our national interests, use different transit routes to prevent any problems. Iran will be part of our efforts for using different routes,” Qoqandi said. 

Analysts said government is required to form bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with countries in the region to promote Afghanistan’s trade. 

This comes after US pulled out of Iran’s nuclear deal and threatened Tehran with new economic sanctions.