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Iran has said it intends to fully resume work on implementing its free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) after a pause necessitated by the Middle East conflict, according to Andrei Slepnev, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) trade minister.
He said, “Work on the FTA was complicated in March. However, in the first week of the conflict, we had serious problems with communications, let alone holding scheduled meetings with our Iranian colleagues. But now the situation has changed. I can say that the most important message that we heard at our meetings with Mohammad Atabak, of the Iranian Industry, Mines, and Trade Ministry in Astana, was a call to resume all planned work in all areas. We are now fully resuming all working contacts in order to completely fill the agenda of the second meeting of the joint committee, which, we expect, will be held in Tehran in the fall.”
The free trade agreement between EAEU countries and Iran went into effect in May 2025.
Slepnev added that “we see that 2025 gave us another increase in trade, by 15.5%. Our exports to Iran grew by more than 20%. I will note this is growth from an already fairly high base. We have been growing at high rates for several years already, and, of course, with every subsequent year it will be more difficult to maintain such rates.”
In reality the 2026 figures—having already lost about 3 months of EAEU trade coordination—may be difficult to reach for this year. However, assuming that no further serious hostilities break out, Iranian trade with the EAEU can be expected to increase during 2027 and onwards.
