A slight decrease in cargo transportation volumes from Iran has been observed in recent days, Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) said.

The agency also noted that about 180–200 trucks are currently waiting on the Armenian side of the Agarak checkpoint at the Armenia–Iran border to cross the frontier, Armenpress reported.

Commenting on reports that the border checkpoint on the Iranian side is closed for citizens but open for freight transport, the SRC said communication disruptions periodically occur on the Iranian side.

“According to the information provided to us, communication failures periodically occur on the Iranian side, which can cause queues. However, when communication is unavailable, procedures are also carried out in paper form, which takes more time. To prevent congestion, certain restrictions may apply for citizens in order to ensure the smooth movement of trucks,” the committee said.

Addressing the situation with cargo transportation between Armenia and Iran amid tensions in the Middle East, the SRC said some changes have been observed.

“According to the information available to us, due to the situation in Iran, transport companies are reluctant to use the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a transit route. Instead, they prefer to transport goods imported from China and other Middle Eastern countries via Georgia. Therefore, it is natural that cargo volumes through Iran would decrease. In recent days, a certain decline has been observed, though it is not very pronounced,” the committee said.

On February 28, Israel and the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran, during which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. Iran responded with strikes against Israel and toward Persian Gulf countries hosting U.S. military bases.