China, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, India, Iraq, Brazil, and Germany are among the main countries that currently trade with Iran, with China by far the largest partner in both oil and non‑oil trade.

Main trading partners

  • China is Iran’s biggest trading partner, buying the majority of Iran’s exported oil and also selling large volumes of manufactured goods and machinery to Iran.
  • United Arab Emirates (UAE) acts as a key re‑export hub, handling several billion dollars of two‑way trade and helping Iranian goods reach wider global markets despite sanctions.
  • Türkiye (Turkey) has a multi‑billion‑dollar trade with Iran, exporting machinery, plastics, chemicals, and agricultural goods, while importing natural gas, metals, and some agricultural products.
  • India trades mainly in basmati rice, food products, and pharmaceuticals with Iran, with more modest but still significant bilateral trade compared with China or the UAE.
  • Iraq is an important regional partner, especially for energy and consumer goods, and is regularly listed among Iran’s key export markets.
  • Brazil has become a notable agricultural partner, exporting soybeans, sugar, and corn to Iran, with Iran importing relatively little in return.
  • Germany and some other European and East Asian countries maintain limited trade with Iran, mainly in industrial equipment and specialized goods, constrained by sanctions and banking restrictions.

Simple partner overview (HTML table)

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Country</th>
      <th>Role in trade with Iran</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>China</td>
      <td>Largest overall partner; buys most Iranian oil and exports machinery and consumer goods.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>United Arab Emirates</td>
      <td>Major re-export hub and regional gateway for Iranian goods and imports.[web:1][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Türkiye</td>
      <td>Significant neighbor trading in machinery, chemicals, agriculture, and natural gas.[web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>India</td>
      <td>Important partner for foodstuffs (especially basmati rice) and pharmaceuticals.[web:3][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Iraq</td>
      <td>Key regional market for Iranian exports, including energy and consumer goods.[web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Brazil</td>
      <td>Growing agricultural supplier (soybeans, sugar, corn) to Iran.[web:1]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Germany & other EU/East Asia</td>
      <td>Smaller, more restricted trade, mostly industrial and specialized goods.[web:1][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public data available on the internet and portrayed here.