TEHRAN, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran's non-oil exports rose 18 percent in the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year, reaching 47.8 billion U.S. dollars, Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati said Friday.
Customs data showed exports increased from 40.4 billion dollars in the same period last year, while imports grew 3 percent to 56 billion dollars.
Iran's oil exports in the 10-month period that ended on Jan. 19 exceeded 30 billion dollars, Hemmati added, putting the country's trade surplus at over 28 billion dollars.
The increase in non-oil exports comes as Iran has been trying to boost trade with neighboring countries and Asian partners to offset the impact of U.S. sanctions reimposed in 2018 after Washington withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. These sanctions have significantly limited Iran's oil exports, traditionally its main source of revenue.
