A spokesman of Iran’s customs office said on Wednesday that borders to Kurdistan region were responsible for some 42 percent of the value and 31 percent of the volume of Iran’s exports to Iraq over the last calendar year.

Seyyed Rouhollah Latifi said that the total Iranian exports of goods to the Kurdistan Region amounted to 8.103 million metric tons worth $3.768 billion over the 12-month period ending March 19.

Iraq was only second to China in Iran’s list of top export destinations in the last calendar year as the country imported a total 25.688 million ton of Iranian goods and products worth $8.99 billion, according to recent figures published by Iran's customs office.

Exports to Iraq have become a major source of earning hard currency for Iran at a time the country is grappling with a series of American sanctions that have affected its normal oil revenues, Press TV reported.

The main gateway for exports to the Iraqi Kurdistan region is the Parvizkhan crossing, located to the north of the city of Qasre Shirin in the province of Kermanshah, through which some $1.4 billion worth of Iranian export shipments passed over the last calendar year.

Bashmaq and Tamarchin are other major trade gateways between Iran and the Kurdish region while local border markets set up is several locations have helped boost exchanges across the Iran-Iraqi border.

Latifi said border crossings to the Kurdistan region had remained open for the past weeks despite a coronavirus pandemic that forced closures in other areas across the borders.

Iranian exports through the crossings from March 19 to April 20, 2020 reached 870,000 tons worth $259 million, he said.

Reporter’s code: 50101