Who are Iran’s top trading partners US would need to target to isolate it?

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has unveiled a new wave of sanctions on Iran, branded “Operation Economic Outcast”, designating close to 60 entities, individuals and vessels and widening secondary sanctions to cover shipping, gold, aviation, technology and digital assets.

He said the aim was to sever every economic lifeline sustaining the government in Tehran until it stands alone, and that President Donald Trump was telephoning world leaders with specific requests to halt their dealings with Iran, though he named no countries and set no deadline.

Below, we break down Iran’s top trading partners using official customs figures compiled by Trade Data Monitor, which exclude the unrecorded flows sustaining much of Iran’s oil exports.

Iran has spent much of the past two decades under Western sanctions, a pressure that has pushed its economy away from Europe and towards a narrowing group of Asian and regional partners.

In 2024, Iran exported some $56bn worth of goods to at least 112 countries and territories, according to official customs figures. Its top export partners were:

In 2024, Iran imported some $68.5bn worth of goods from at least 87 countries and territories, according to official customs figures. Its top import partners were: