Trucks Move at Iran Border

Freight vehicles began crossing the Pakistan-Iran border on Monday after a nine-day suspension. The halt, which started on October 17, was imposed by Islamabad to address security risks in Balochistan province. Trade is now moving in a limited capacity at the Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan crossings.

Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, confirmed that trade partially resumed over the weekend. Border officials cleared consignments that were dated October 16 or earlier. Pakistani exports, including rice, potatoes, and bananas, are currently crossing into Iran, according to Haji Noor Muhammad Shahwani, central president of the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association.

Trucks loaded in Iran before the closure are also entering Pakistan. Shahwani noted that vehicles carrying liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, are being cleared. The halt in Iranian LPG supplies caused severe shortages and price spikes in Pakistan, which imports most of its energy from the Middle East. The country's economy has already faced pressure from shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz linked to the conflict between Iran and the United States-Israel alliance.

Rizwan Ahmed, a customs clearing agent near the Gabd-Rimdan crossing, said customs authorities instructed agents to file declarations for stranded trucks. He stated that customs told them to bring in as much cargo as possible. Ahmed confirmed his own export consignment of rice and retail goods had just left the area. He did not specify if the clearance applied to goods loaded after October 16.

Iran has raised objections to the partial reopening. Reza Amiri Moghadam, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, wrote on X on Sunday that Iran placed no restrictions on exports to Pakistan. He argued that changes in the implementation of Pakistan's E-Form procedure for imports are preventing traders from dispatching cargo. The E-Form, or EIF, is a document used to record imports and track payments through banks.

A memorandum from Pakistan's Commerce Ministry on October 16 withdrew a previous waiver for the E-Form. The new rule took effect immediately. Moghadam said consultations between the two nations were under way. He cited reports that several hundred LPG trucks had crossed into Gabd but remained unloaded due to clearing issues. Shahwani said the unloading problem was unresolved and likely related to international banking channels.

Security incidents in Balochistan contributed to the initial closure. Gunmen attacked trucks near the Gabd crossing on Thursday. The military reported that 10 attackers were killed in operations around Gabd and Gwadar city, while one civilian died. Balochistan recorded 131 of the 225 armed attacks in Pakistan during September. This was the highest monthly national total in 12 years, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed the border status at a weekly briefing on Friday. Spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan adheres to all applicable sanctions regimes under international and domestic laws. He stated he did not have direct knowledge of the ground situation and did not confirm whether the United States pressured Pakistan over the closure. The Ministry of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment.

Bakhtiar Ismail, deputy commissioner of Chagai, described the closure as a temporary measure for border management and counterterrorism on October 18. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, attributed delays to technical issues. Imtiaz Baloch, a security analyst, noted that US maximum pressure policies on Iran likely influenced the situation directly or indirectly through banking and trade channels. He added that security, procedures, and banking systems all played a role.