Addressing an open session of the Iranian parliament on Sunday, Hamid Reza Haji Babayi said that Iran has vast potential to activate imports and exports through land and sea borders that avoid its southern waters.
Haji Babayi said that Iran should not wait for a full lifting of the US blockade, which has been in place since early April and after the US-Israeli aggression on the country stopped with a ceasefire, adding that Iran should start thinking about alternative trade routes.
"Planning for the coming months must assume the continuation of the naval blockade, and we should not be affected by any temporary openings by the enemy. In this regard, we must vigorously pursue and activate alternative routes and land corridors," he said.
The senior lawmaker, who has also served as a minister in previous Iranian administrations, said that Iran is seeking to import at least 50% of its basic goods, including grains, through ports on the Caspian Sea in the north of the country, adding that the process of redirecting imports to the northern ports has already begun.
Haji Babayi said that basic goods imports through northern ports would focus on crops and commodities such as corn, soybeans, soybean meal, and cooking oil.
He said that Iran would also seek to activate loading and unloading operations for ships carrying goods destined for Iran at ports in Oman, Pakistan, and Turkey, adding that land, rail, and sea routes would then be used for transporting cargo to and from the country.
Press TV