Irans gas exports to Turkey rise to over 8b cubic meters in 2025
Iran’s gas exports to Turkey rise to over 8b cubic meters in 2025
TEHRAN – Iran’s natural gas exports to Turkey grew by about 16 percent in 2025, reaching more than 8.17 billion cubic meters, according to the latest data cited by Eurostat.
Turkey imported 8.17 billion cubic meters of Iranian gas in 2025, up from around 7.04 billion cubic meters in 2024, marking a significant increase in pipeline deliveries between the two neighbors.
Under long-term arrangements, Iran has remained one of Turkey’s key pipeline gas suppliers, second only to Russia, even as Ankara pursues diversification of its energy sources, including greater imports of LNG and increased domestic production.
The growth in pipeline exports occurred against a backdrop of wider regional shifts in energy trade and supply contracts, with Turkey’s overall gas demand rising and global supply dynamics evolving.
In late December, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced that Iran exported non-oil commodities valued at $4.393 billion to Turkey during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-November 21, 2025).
According to IRICA, Turkey was Iran’s fourth top non-oil export destination in the mentioned period.
Exporting commodities valued at $6.19 billion to Iran, Turkey was Iran's third top source of non-oil import in the first eight months of this year.
The Turkish Statistical Institute has recently announced that the value of this country’s imports from Iran in the first ten months of 2025 increased by four percent compared to the same period last year, reaching $2.035 billion.
However, Turkey's exports to Iran from January to October 2025 amounted to $2.53 billion, representing a four-percent decrease compared to the same period last year.
Trade between Turkey and Iran in the first ten months of the current year reached $4.565 billion.
The trade between the two countries during this period did not show a significant change compared to the same period last year. In the ten months of 2024, the trade volume between the two countries was reported to be $4.585 billion.
On December 6, a Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) delegation, visiting the Plast Eurasia 2025 exhibition in Istanbul, met with a group of board members and managers of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.
In this meeting, both sides, referring to the longstanding friendly, cultural, and economic relations between Iran and Turkey, emphasized strengthening connections through the exchange of trade delegations, participation in exhibitions, and joint investment.
Munur Ustun, a member of the executive board of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, referring to the memorandum of understanding signed between the two chambers last year, described the presence of Iranian companies in Turkey and specialized exhibitions as valuable and stated: “The current volume of trade between the two countries falls short of the existing potential.”
He then addressed the impact of global economic developments and the constraints caused by sanctions, and emphasizing the need to facilitate the foreign trade environment and create a secure path for private sector cooperation, said that direct meetings between merchants are an important step to compensate for shortcomings.
Addressing the meeting, Hervik Yarijaniyan, head of the TCCIMA Industry and Mining Committee, stated that with over 47,000 members, this chamber has extensive capacity for cooperation with Turkish economic actors, adding: “The social, political, and cultural relations between the two countries are at a high level, but the level of trade exchange does not correspond with these realities.
Therefore, through the exchange of trade delegations, participation in exhibitions, and joint investment, cooperation between the two countries can be strengthened.”
He also invited the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce to travel to Tehran as a trade delegation to further expand the grounds for joint cooperation.
Subsequently, Hesameddin Hallaj, deputy for international affairs and trade development at the TCCIMA, referring to the continuous dispatch of trade delegations in recent years and the active presence of the Tehran Chamber at Plast Eurasia 2025, said: “Face-to-face dialogues between Iranian and Turkish actors can lead to the development of economic relations.”
He also announced the continuation of cooperation between the two chambers based on last year's memorandum of understanding and expressed hope that the Tehran Chamber would soon host a delegation of Turkish merchants.
During this meeting, Kamran Davari-Nikou, Consul General of Iran in Istanbul, referring to the increase in the trade between the two countries to $19.4 billion, said the diversity of Iran's export goods to Turkey has increased from 700 items in previous years to 1,383 items.
Referring to the presence of 45 Iranian companies at the Plast Eurasia exhibition and several dispatched trade delegations, he described this trend as a sign of the high potential for economic cooperation between Iran and Turkey.
Uzcan Tokul, Deputy Secretary General of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, in his remarks, deemed the current trade volume between Iran and Turkey insufficient and stated that the Istanbul Chamber would seriously continue its policy of receiving and supporting Iranian trade delegations.
At the end of this meeting, it was also decided that the Tehran Chamber of Commerce would prepare the groundwork for a trade delegation from the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce to travel to Tehran through official correspondence.
The TCCIMA delegation, visiting the Plast Eurasia 2025 exhibition, also met with senior officials of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, proposing strategic partnerships between Iranian and Turkish private-sector companies, particularly in technology-driven sectors.
During the joint session, both sides highlighted the long-standing commercial ties between Iran and Turkey and agreed to strengthen industrial cooperation through B2B meetings and reciprocal expert delegations.
Mehmet Akif Meral, director of international and EU affairs at the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, introduced the body as an institution with 23,000 members established in 1923. He described past cooperation with Iran as positive, citing a 2013 business mission to Tehran and multiple meetings in recent years on technology, energy and industry.
He said the chamber maintains extensive links with Europe and neighboring markets and actively participates in global exhibitions, including major events in Chicago and the Netherlands.
Meral outlined measures taken in response to U.S. tariff shifts, noting that the chamber supports Turkish manufacturers through market advisory services, specialized training and e-commerce development programs. He added that 40 percent of Turkey’s exports go to Europe, where the chamber plays a central role in maintaining industrial ties.
Hervik Yarijaniyan, head of the TCCIMA Industry and Mining Committee, said current trade levels fall short of the two countries’ long-standing economic links. He called for closer coordination between the Tehran Chamber and the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and invited a Turkish industrial delegation to visit Tehran.
Hesameddin Hallaj, deputy for international affairs and trade development at the TCCIMA, pointed to Iran’s renewed industrial momentum after difficult economic years. He said the current environment is suitable for joint ventures and shared manufacturing projects.
Highlighting the zero-tariff and reduced-tariff opportunities available to Iran under its free-trade framework with the Eurasian Economic Union, he encouraged Iranian and Turkish businesses to pursue co-export strategies in plastics and polymers, textiles and apparel, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and food products.
Meral noted that Iranian companies hold competitive strengths in several technology domains and can form strategic alliances with Turkish producers. He said shifting global supply chains and rising logistics costs have made Turkey an attractive base for regional industrial cooperation. He cited broad collaboration potential in electrical equipment, parts manufacturing, machinery, home appliances, electronics, fisheries and caviar.
He added that at the upcoming Moscow exhibition, where Turkey will field 200 booths, the chamber can help connect Turkish companies with Iranian partners.
Plast Eurasia 2025, one of the region’s leading plastic-industry exhibitions, hosted participants from dozens of countries in Istanbul.
The Tehran Chamber of Commerce operated a dedicated pavilion and held multiple meetings to showcase Iran’s industrial capacities and expand bilateral business links.
Also, in late December, business delegations from Turkey’s Van province and Iranian industrial representatives held talks in Tehran on ways to remove trade barriers and expand bilateral industrial and commercial cooperation, officials said.
The meeting brought together members of a Van-based trade delegation, Iranian industrialists and the head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA)’s industry and mining committee.
Hervik Yarijanian, head of the committee, said the Iranian and Turkish economies are both on a path of growth and that closer links between private-sector players could boost trade, encourage joint investment and help both sides make better use of existing capacities.
He proposed exchanges of industrial experts and engineers, the removal of customs obstacles and a stronger role for Van as a transit hub for goods moving between the two countries.
Mehrdad Saadat Dehghan, head of the Iran–Turkey Joint Chamber of Commerce, said the two countries have nearly three decades of experience in cross-border trade but that the scale of exchanges has fallen short of expectations. He said broader cooperation, with the Tehran chamber playing a central role, could help unlock new opportunities.
Ali Sadri, vice head of the Tehran chamber’s industry and mining committee, said Tehran province is home to around 19,000 industrial and mining operators, including companies active in agro-processing, metals and non-metallic minerals. He said there is scope to connect Turkish traders and industrialists from Van with Iranian companies based in Tehran’s industrial zones.
Mehmet Tashan, head of the Van branch of the HAKSIAD industrialists and traders association, said businesses in the province, Turkey’s closest region to Iran, are keen to raise trade volumes with Iranian partners.
He stressed the need to address transport and connectivity challenges and said commercial ties could be expanded through HAKSIAD’s representation in Iran.
The meeting concluded with further exchanges of views between Iranian and Turkish businesspeople on potential areas of cooperation.
EF/MA
source: tehrantimes.com