Top U.S. Exports and Imports with Iran

Jul 28, 2010
Daniel Workman

Imported Rugs and Carpets from Iran are Valuable - dynamosquito (Flickr)

What are the top products that the United States and Iran continue selling to each other?

Comparatively speaking, the United States and Iran have never been major trade partners.

In year 2000, American exporters shipped U.S.$16.6 million worth of products to Iran while Iranian imports into the United States were valued at $168.7 million.

Since then, the United States has supported 5 United Nations Security Council resolutions against Iran for its secretive nuclear activities.

U.S. exports to Iran amounted to $279.5 million during 2009. Iranian imports into the United States have fallen dramatically from 2000 to 2009, down 60.4% to $66.7 million.

Top 10 U.S. Exports to Iran

From January to May 2010, U.S. exports to Iran fell by a further 23.3% to $92 million. That amount compares unfavorably with the $119.9 million exported during the first 5 months of 2009.

Below are the top 10 U.S. exports to Iran during the first 5 months of 2010.

Soybeans … $50.3 million, up 3.2% from 2009 (54.7% of total)
Chemical wood pulp … $11.4 million, up 87.7% (12.4%)
Other acrylic polymers … $4.5 million, down 21.1% (4.9%)
Other blood fractions … $3.6 million, down 38.4% (3.9%)
Bovine semen … $3.4 million, up 90.9% (3.7%)
Multiple vitamins … $2 million, down 33.3% (2.2%)
Patient monitoring systems … $1.5 million, up 93.5% (1.7%)
Other vitamins including natural concentrates … $1.49 million, up from nil in 2009 (1.6%)
Insulin and its salts … $1.4 million, up from nil (1.5%)
Heparin and its salts … $1.1 million, down 81.3% (1.2%).

Mostly agricultural and medical items, the top U.S. exports above represent 87.9% of all American shipments to Iran.

Fastest-Growing U.S. Export to Iran

Vitamins for veterinary use represent the fastest-growing export shipped from the United States to Iran.

As of May 2010, about $15 million worth of U.S. vitamins for animals was supplied to Iranian importers. That is an increase of almost 11,000% from the $136,000 in sales for the year-earlier period.

Top 10 U.S. Imports from Iran

U.S. imports from Iran amounted to $29.6 million during the first 5 months of 2010, up 3.2% from 2009.

Hand-hooked carpets of wool or fine animal hair … U.S.$16.9 million, up 8.2% (61.7% of total)
Berry juice … $4 million, up 10,757% (13.5%)
Shelled pistachios … $1.3 million, up 148.8% (4.4%)
Ancient antiques … 1.2 million, down 72.9% (4.1%)
Untufted or unflocked man-made fiber carpets … $805,000 up 520.8% (2.7%)
Hand-knotted textile carpets … $612,000 down 67.4% (2.1%)
Hand-woven wool carpets … $402,000 down 11.2% (1.4%)
Fresh or dried figs … $300,000 up 418% (1%)
Hand-inserted pile carpets of wool or fine animal hair … $274,000 up 1,543% (0.9%)
Saffron … $270,000 up 69.4% (0.9%).

The above products represent 92.7% of all Iranian imports into the United States so far in 2010.

Iranian carpets remain among the most popular imported items from Iran.

Fastest-Growing U.S. Import from Iran

In America, antique furniture over 100 years old was the fastest-growing import from Iran.

As of May 2010, the United States bought $285,000 worth of ancient Iranian furniture.

These statistics show that global trade between the United States and Iran continues. However, military and nuclear-related products remain strictly off the table.

Sources: United States International Trade Commission’s Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb and United States International Trade Commission Harmonized Tariff Schedule.