Disruption in the Last Commercial Channels

The economic expulsion operations by the United States have simultaneously pressured energy exports via sea routes and Iran's non-oil trade through land borders. Yesterday, news emerged about the temporary halt of Iranian exports to Pakistan. The requirement for Pakistani importers to provide an electronic import form through their banks, amid the sanctions on Iranian banks, has created a new obstacle in the trade exchanges between the two countries. The importance of the Pakistani land borders has increased in recent months, coinciding with the intensification of the maritime blockade; as limitations on sea routes made the use of alternative routes for non-oil exports more essential. This situation arises while the two countries had aimed to increase bilateral trade volume to $10 billion. Although the land border between the two countries has not been officially closed, the continuation of banking obstacles could disrupt trade and effectively halt Iranian exports to Pakistan. Additionally, the maritime blockade has disrupted crude oil exports and increased the costs of transporting energy shipments. However, reports indicate that a limited and costly portion of petroleum product exports continues. According to Reuters, at least 10 tankers carrying liquefied gas and jet fuel from Iran have left the region since mid-July. Some of these shipments have been transferred through ship-to-ship transfers. Nevertheless, the current export volume is negligible compared to conventional crude oil exports and cannot compensate for the lost oil revenues. Therefore, the passage of these tankers does not mean the blockade is ineffective, but rather indicates that maritime pressure has not yet blocked all energy export routes. Thus, economic pressure has extended beyond maritime routes and threatens land trade as well. In such circumstances, removing banking and trade obstacles through diplomacy and finding ways to maintain energy export flows becomes even more crucial.