Iran's industry minister presses Pakistan to clear Iranian containers stuck at Karachi port

Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Seyed Mohammad Atabak pressed Pakistan on Tuesday 4 August 2026 to urgently resolve problems affecting Iranian containers moved to the port of Karachi, in a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan in Islamabad. His requests covered transfer and shipping permits, waiving storage charges, and removing administrative obstacles to clearing consignments.

Atabak said resolving these issues would smooth the transit route through Pakistani ports and strengthen the position of Karachi, Qasim and Gwadar in regional trade. He also pointed to a sharp fall in traffic at the Mirjaveh and Taftan border terminal in recent days and asked for it to be reviewed immediately.

Both sides reaffirmed a target of $10 billion in bilateral trade within one year. Anadolu Agency reported that the two ministers repeated the goal at the same meeting. Atabak said reaching it would require a free trade agreement, direct banking links and less bureaucracy.