Iran 11-month non-oil trade volume exceeds $85bn: official

The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) says the country’s volume of non-oil trade has hit USD85.9 billion in the first 11 months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20, 2012).

Head of IRICA Abbas Memarnejad said on Saturday that during the aforesaid period, despite the illegal US-engineered sanctions against Iran, the country’s non-oil exports fetched the country USD37.693 billion while non-oil imports amounted to USD48.3 billion.

The Islamic Republic’s non-oil exports mainly included gas condensate, chemical products, plastic products, fruits, nuts, carpets and fertilizers.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Under pressure from Washington, the UN Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The Security Council’s measure was followed by a series of illegal unilateral embargoes against Iran by the US and the European Union.

Iran refutes the allegation over its nuclear energy program arguing that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.