According to data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan, within the Fiscal Strategy for 2027–2029, Uzbekistan received goods worth 3.9 billion US dollars in 2025 that passed through Iran in transit. This volume accounted for approximately 9% of the country's total imports.
Direct trade between Uzbekistan and Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, remained relatively small in 2025, reaching 2.1 billion US dollars, which constitutes 2.6% of the country's total foreign trade turnover. Nevertheless, the ministry emphasized that this region is far more significant for Uzbekistan from a logistical perspective, as Iranian ports function as one of the transport hubs connecting the country to other markets.
Approximately a quarter of the transit imports through Iran, or about 1 billion US dollars, consisted of technological equipment, which accounted for 14.8% of Uzbekistan's total imports in this category. Other major import categories included food products worth 725 million US dollars, chemical products at 339.4 million US dollars, metals and metal products at 319.1 million US dollars, vehicles and spare parts at 278.7 million US dollars, pharmaceutical products at 259.7 million US dollars, and electrical engineering products at 229.7 million US dollars. Other goods amounted to 712.5 million US dollars.
In the reverse direction, goods from Uzbekistan totaling 1.4 billion US dollars were exported through Iran, which corresponds to approximately 10% of the country's exports, excluding gold. Textiles accounted for the largest share of exported goods at 546.5 million US dollars, followed by metals and metal products ($422.3 million), chemical products ($143.6 million), and fuel and petroleum products ($100.2 million). Tobacco, electrical engineering products, and other goods provided about 181 million US dollars.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance warned that given the modest volume of direct trade, tensions in the Middle East could negatively affect Uzbekistan primarily through disruptions to transit corridors passing through Iran, increased transportation costs, and longer delivery times. The ministry estimates the potential impact through external trade and logistics channels to be between 1 and 1.5 billion US dollars, equivalent to approximately 0.7–1% of Uzbekistan's GDP.
In addition to logistical risks, the ministry pointed to the possibility of rising global prices for oil, food, and mineral fertilizers, as well as a slowdown in the global economy. According to the ministry, these factors are capable of intensifying inflationary pressure and weakening Uzbekistan's macroeconomic indicators.
