Pakistan permits food exports to Iran amid ongoing Mideast conflict

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan has allowed food exports to neighboring Iran for the next three months amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, an official said on Saturday.

Trade Minister Jam Kamal Khan said in a statement that Islamabad has also allowed trade with Azerbaijan and other Central Asian states through land routes via Iran, lifting several previous conditions until June this year.

The temporarily lifted conditions include bank guarantee, letter of credit and financial instrument.

Islamabad has permitted its exporters to supply rice, seafood, meat, vegetables and fruit, in addition to granting concessions on exports of pharmaceutical goods.

Jam said the latest steps are aimed at strengthening the volume of regional trade and reducing business expenses.

It comes days after Pakistan allowed exports of surplus food to the Gulf nations.

Tehran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most crucial international oil shipping routes, since early March after Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran, killing over 1,340 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.