2,271 Trucks Are Stuck at the Dogharoun Border, and the China-Afghanistan Crossing Has Not Yet Opened

Ehsan Malekzadeh, chairman of Iran's International Transport Companies Association, told Mehr on Saturday, 17 October 2026, that about 2,271 trucks are held up behind the Dogharoun border waiting to enter Afghanistan. He said Iran's exports to Afghanistan are mostly petroleum derivatives and gas, and that long truck waits remain a main obstacle to exports and the movement of goods.

On recent reports that the China-Afghanistan border crossing had reopened, Malekzadeh said it has not yet opened. The Afghan side built a 121 km road to the border area, but he said the Chinese side did not attend the road's opening ceremony and a road alone does not mean commercial traffic has begun. He added that the through-haulage scheme is not yet in operation and would not by itself remove border stoppages; he said the Gozar Headquarters' resolutions on easing foreign trade could smooth the process if implemented.