Iran’s deputy speaker of parliament has said the country should expand its use of land trade routes to bypass what he described as a US naval blockade.

Addressing an open session of parliament on Sunday, Hamid Reza Haji Babayi said Iran had significant potential to increase imports and exports through land and maritime routes that do not rely on its southern waters. News.Az reports, citing Iran's English-language Press TV.

Haji Babayi said Iran should not wait for a complete lifting of the US blockade, which he said had been in place since early April and continued after the end of what he described as US-Israeli aggression against the country under a ceasefire agreement. He added that Tehran should focus on developing 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 Iran aims to import at least 50% of its essential goods, including grain, through ports on the Caspian Sea in the north of the country. He added that efforts to redirect imports to northern ports had already begun.

According to Haji Babayi, imports through northern ports will focus on agricultural products and commodities such as maize, soybeans, soybean meal and cooking oil.

He also said Iran plans to expand loading and unloading operations for ships carrying goods destined for the country at ports in Oman, Pakistan and Türkiye. Cargo would then be transported to and from Iran via land, rail and maritime routes, he added.

News.Az