Trade connection: EAEU starts supplying chocolate and jams to Iran
The EAEU is starting to supply sweets to Iran, Andrei Slepnev, Minister of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), told Izvestia. The parties are currently strengthening trade cooperation following the signing of the Free Trade Area Agreement (FTA), which entered into force on May 15. In addition, the start of deliveries of pipes, timber, and special equipment is being discussed. The rapprochement is taking place against the background of the difficult economic situation in Iran: on October 5, the country's parliament approved a bill on the denomination of the national currency. Cooperation with the association will allow Tehran to expand its presence on other economic platforms and strengthen the image of a stable trading partner. The Association is also interested in cooperation with the Islamic Republic in the field of artificial intelligence. What Iran can offer the EAEU in this area is in the Izvestia article.
Trade between the EAEU and Iran
The EAEU and Iran are strengthening trade cooperation after the signing of the Free Trade Area Agreement (FTA), which entered into force on May 15. The document implies the reduction or elimination of barriers, as well as through the support of economic cooperation. The EEC previously clarified that the agreement would contribute to an increase in trade between the parties and help bring mutual trade turnover to $12 billion.
At the same time, the association is now starting to supply confectionery and industrial products to Iran, Andrei Slepnev, Minister of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), told Izvestia.
— Not so long ago, we discussed the supply of confectionery and finished products, as previously there were serious barriers to this in the Iranian market. They have now been eliminated for more than 3 thousand product items. Accordingly, supplies of, for example, chocolate, jams, mineral water, bottled vegetable oil, and poultry meat are already beginning. We are also actively working on the supply of pipes, timber, special equipment and railway equipment," he said.
Iran and the EAEU countries have different standards for product certification and requirements for the rules of turnover of raw materials for food products, their own systems for organizing and tracking supplies, sanitary barriers, which previously made it difficult to organize trade, orientalist Leonid Tsukanov explained to Izvestia.
The rapprochement of the parties is taking place against the background of the difficult economic situation in Iran. Inflation is growing in the country: by the end of September 2025, its level was 45.3%. On October 5, they decided to redenominate the national currency. The bill was approved by the Iranian Parliament. It is assumed that four zeros will be removed from the banknotes — the new rial will be equal to 10 thousand old ones. Two years have been allocated for the preparation of the reform, after which new and old banknotes can be used simultaneously for three years.
The economic situation in the country has become more complicated after the resumption of sanctions by the Eurotroika, which participated in the nuclear deal (Great Britain, Germany, France). They announced the launch of the snapback mechanism, which allows the resumption of the restrictive measures of the UN Security Council against Tehran, lifted on the basis of the 2015 agreements.
The Russian Foreign Ministry then accused the organization's secretariat of overstepping its authority.
— The UN secretariat hastened to post a message on its website regarding the restored resolution on Iran. A classic example of how the UN secretariat acts outside its mandate, outside its authority, contrary to international law, simply because it is biased by Westerners," said Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Foreign Ministry.
In total, Iran has been living under sanctions pressure for more than 40 years. In July 2025, the US government imposed the largest package of restrictions against 50 individuals and legal entities from the republic, as well as more than fifty vessels controlled by this country, which, according to Washington, participated in the oil trade. In 2023, the media reported that over 3.6 thousand sanctions were in effect against the Islamic Republic.
The country is interested in expanding cooperation with those States and organizations that do not recognize the return of restrictions. Among them are Russia and China, says Leonid Tsukanov. The FTA agreement immediately increased trade turnover between the parties by 35%, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said earlier. Therefore, by cooperating with the EAEU, Tehran will at least maintain the "economic window" and markets even under sanctions conditions.
— Cooperation with the EAEU will also contribute to the development of various elements of the national infrastructure. This concerns, for example, the digitalization of the Iranian customs, which helps to increase its capacity," the expert says.
An important nuance is that by cooperating with the EEA, Iran will strengthen the image of a stable trading partner, which will have a positive impact on its economic situation and reputation, Leonid Tsukanov concluded.
Cooperation between the EEA and Iran in the field of AI
The EAEU and the Islamic Republic have already started cooperation, including in the technological sphere. Earlier, consultations were held on possible interaction between marketplaces. The EEC and Iran are discussing a dialogue in the field of AI, Andrei Slepnev said.
— In practical terms, we have initiated consultations with the Iranian side on artificial intelligence issues. A very fruitful meeting was held jointly with Sberbank. As far as I know, the parties have already outlined a number of specific issues that it makes sense to discuss and work through. We have a lot to offer as specific tools for using artificial intelligence and joint developments," he said.
Earlier, Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Seyed Mohammad Atabak said that Tehran is interested in cooperation with the EAEU in the field of artificial intelligence. Among the interesting areas, he highlighted the integration of communication and data exchange infrastructure, the creation of common communication networks and information processing centers, simplification of regulation in the field of digital economy and industry, as well as cooperation in the creation and development of joint regional platforms.
Tehran's experience can be useful for the EAEU in many areas, including in the field of AI, Elena Zinovieva, professor at the MGIMO Department of World Political Processes, tells Izvestia.
— Iran demonstrates important developments in significant niche areas of AI, including cybersecurity, natural language processing, and the use of AI in the defense field. Persian is also of particular interest for large language models. Iran is also demonstrating success not in the field of LLM (The Big Language Model is an advanced artificial intelligence program. — Izvestia), where it is difficult for him to compete with companies in the United States and China, but in narrower areas such as computer vision and natural language processing, she says.
For its part, the EAEU is interested in access to the Tehran market. Digital technologies in the Middle East are developing rapidly, and strengthening its presence in the region is strategically justified for the Russian AI industry.
An artificial intelligence race is unfolding in both the military and civilian spheres. The West is increasingly using sanctions as a tool of pressure on both China and the countries of the Global South. Cooperation will allow us to provide a consolidated response to the new challenges of the digital age, Zinovieva concluded.
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