Iran’s Minister of Economy and Finance has held separate meetings with his Pakistani and Turkish counterparts on the sidelines of the 42nd COMCEC summit in Istanbul, discussing ways to facilitate trade, ease the transit of goods, and remove existing barriers at shared border crossings.

In a meeting with Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat, the two sides discussed strengthening customs and border cooperation.

They agreed on the formation of a joint working group and regular meetings between border customs directors to address operational challenges.

The ministers also discussed the possibility of 24-hour operations at border terminals to reduce truck waiting times and speed up commercial processes.

The status of the Bazargan border crossing and Turkey’s ongoing plans to modernize the facility were also reviewed.

Additionally, the two sides discussed the establishment of a joint working group for free trade and industrial zones and reviewed obstacles facing Turkish companies operating in Iran.

Separately, Madanizadeh met with Pakistani Trade Minister Jam Kamal Khan to review existing capacities for expanding bilateral trade.

The two ministers discussed practical solutions to remove transit obstacles at shared borders, including the Rimdan and Mirjaveh crossings.

They emphasized the need to strengthen border infrastructure and develop free zone capacities to facilitate the movement of goods.

The two sides also highlighted the importance of increasing trade volumes, particularly in agricultural and food products, and noted that improved border connectivity could create jobs and support development in frontier regions.

The meetings took place as part of Iran’s broader efforts during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit to explore new avenues for economic cooperation with regional partners and mitigate the effects of external economic pressures.

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"We are striving to identify new routes and opportunities to develop our economic and trade relations. This will allow us to foil the plans designed against Iran's economy and successfully navigate the current situation," Madanizadeh stated, adding that repeated attempts by foreign adversaries to collapse Iran's economy have failed.

Iran has been targeted by a campaign of economic terrorism and unilateral coercive measures by successive US administrations, including the Barack Obama administration in the early 2010s and Donald Trump in the late 2010s.

Since Washington's illegal withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018, the US has imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran's banking, energy, shipping, and trade sectors, aiming to cripple the national economy and force political concessions.

The campaign has been revitalized following the failure of the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran earlier this year, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spearheading a new wave of financial blockades and illegal maritime sieges.

However, Tehran has consistently maintained that such "maximum pressure" campaigns have not only failed to achieve their stated objectives but have also strengthened Iran's resolve to achieve self-sufficiency, diversify its economic partnerships away from Western-dominated financial systems, and deepen integration with neighboring countries.