Taftan border trade suspended: Pakistan halts Iran trade at Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan, LPG trucks stranded

Pakistan has suspended trade with Iran through the Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan border crossings in Balochistan, citing security and smuggling concerns, Dawn reported on Saturday. A Ministry of Commerce memorandum issued on Friday, seen by Dawn, withdrew the ministry's earlier order No. 9(3)2017-Iran of 3 October with immediate effect. Passenger traffic through Gabd-Rimdan continues.

Why it matters: LPG

Gabd-Rimdan, near Gwadar, is one of the main routes for Pakistan's liquefied petroleum gas: more than 4,000 tonnes of LPG a day come in through it, according to Dawn. Trade and energy sector sources warned the closure could deepen LPG shortages in Karachi and other cities and push up open-market cylinder prices, just as the cold months begin. Rice exports through the route had also grown in recent months.

Hundreds of trucks carrying LPG, rice, fresh fruit and other goods are reported stranded on both sides of the border.

What traders have been told

• The Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry has advised members trading with Iran to place no new import or export orders until further notice.
• Iran's transit office director general, Syed Hossein Hosseini, told Iranian outlet Wana that commercial operations at the crossing had stopped.
• In Gwadar, chamber president Jiand Hoot said trade through the Panjgur and Mand-Radig crossings was already almost nil because of poor roads and repeated vehicle burnings.

What the government says

Shahid Rind, adviser to the Balochistan chief minister on media and political affairs, said the step was taken to tighten security, stop smuggling and make the border system work better, and that the crossing was likely to reopen soon as senior officials of both countries were in contact. He dismissed rumours on X about the closure.

The background

Since March 2026 the two governments had been easing border trade: simpler customs, Taftan formalised as a customs station and new transit routes notified. In August, Iran's trade minister Mohammad Atabak led a delegation to Islamabad for the 10th Pak-Iran Joint Trade Committee, where both sides agreed to keep crossings open round the clock.

What to watch

If you buy LPG by the cylinder, watch the OGRA-notified price against what shops charge this week. For fuel and energy prices, see our petrol price page and the gas bill calculator for piped-gas users. We will update this story when the Commerce Ministry reopens the crossings.