Pakistan-Iran border trade resumes partially after nine-day halt

Freight trucks are moving again across the Pakistan-Iran border, but the flow remains partial and uneven. The two nations halted cargo traffic on October 17 after gunmen attacked vehicles near the Gabd-Rimdan crossing in Balochistan province. On October 26, some goods began crossing the border again, though officials say not all cargo is clearing smoothly.

The pause lasted nine days. During that time, hundreds of trucks sat idle at the Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan crossings. On October 17, Pakistani authorities suspended cargo traffic citing security risks in the border region. The halt came shortly after gunmen attacked trucks waiting on the Pakistani side of the border. The military said it killed 10 attackers in operations around Gabd and Gwadar city. One civilian died in the fighting.

Trade restarted on October 25. Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said trade partially resumed that weekend. Haji Noor Muhammad Shahwani, central president of the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association, confirmed that Pakistani exports like rice and bananas were crossing into Iran. He also said trucks loaded in Iran before the closure, including those carrying liquefied petroleum gas, were entering Pakistan slowly. Rizwan Ahmed, a customs clearing agent near the Gabd-Rimdan crossing, said customs told agents to file declarations for stranded trucks. His own consignment of rice, retail goods, potatoes, and bananas had just left the crossing.

Iran says new paperwork rules are slowing its exports. Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, wrote on X on October 25 that changes to Pakistan’s E-Form procedure for imports have made it difficult for traders to dispatch cargo from Iran to Pakistan. He said Iran had placed no restrictions on its own exports, including LPG. A Commerce Ministry memorandum dated October 16 withdrew a previous waiver on the E-Form for imports from Iran. The change took effect immediately.

Several hundred LPG trucks have crossed into Gabd but have not yet been unloaded or cleared, according to Moghadam. Shahwani said the unloading problem had not been resolved, suggesting a banking or international trade issue. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said on October 23 that Pakistan adheres to all applicable sanctions regimes. He did not specify whether the border was fully open or whether the United States had pressured Pakistan over the closure.

The next step involves clearing the backlog of Iranian cargo. Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce has not responded to requests for comment on the specific delays. The Pakistani military continues security operations in Balochistan, a province that recorded 131 armed attacks in September, the highest monthly total in 12 years. The US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports since February 28, part of broader sanctions aimed at cutting off Iranian revenue.