Polygraph

Pakistan has plans to expand annual bilateral trade with Iran to 10 billion dollars annually.

Posted by Up First from NPR, Checked

Polygraph verdictTrue
Sources
6 support3 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
85%
Up First from NPRAug 25, 2026
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20 claimsThe check →

Multiple reliable sources from August 2026 (Reuters, Pakistan's government press releases, The Nation, Siasat, Daily Times) confirm Pakistan and Iran reaffirmed a shared target of expanding annual bilateral trade to $10 billion, against roughly $4 billion of current informal trade, so the claim holds as of 2026-08-25.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… And I checked flights on Iran's Mahan Air as well this morning, and it's flying to neighboring Oman, as well as Turkey, Russia, China, even the tropical Thai holiday destination of Phuket. And as for overland transits, Pakistan, which has emerged as the lead mediator between Washington and Tehran in this war, has plans to expand annual bilateral trade with Iran by more than threefold to 10 billion dollars annually. During this war, Pakistan also opened more land routes for non-sanctioned goods from other countries to enter Iran. But the most consequential country here is China, which is the biggest importer and buyer of Iranian oil. …
Up First from NPR · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Reuters reports Pakistan-Iran commitments to expand bilateral trade to $10 billion, with informal trade at about $4 billion, and notes efforts to expand trade quickly after the June interim agreement.[1]

Supports. Pakistan's Economic Affairs and commerce releases, along with coverage of the 10th Pakistan-Iran Joint Trade Committee meeting held August 3-5, 2026, state both sides reaffirmed the shared target of US$10 billion in annual trade.[2][3][4][5][6]

Context. The Express Tribune notes the $10 billion goal faces sanctions, payment, and transit obstacles, and that historical bilateral trade has been far lower, so the target is an aspiration rather than a current state.[7]

Context. Sources describe the target as a commitment set by leadership rather than a fixed funded plan, and the 2025 JEC session also reaffirmed the same $10 billion target.[8][9]

Sources

9 sources: 1 fact-checker, 8 not rated

  1. 1Trump threatens to isolate Iran. Who are its trading partners?reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
  2. 2PR No. 49 Pakistan, Iran Agree on Measures to Expand Bilateral ...pid.gov.pk · not rated · cited for: supports
  3. 3Pakistan, Iran reaffirm resolve to expand bilateral trade to USD$10 ...asianews.network · not rated · cited for: supports
  4. 4Pakistan, Iran vow to further boost economic ties, enhance trade to $10b 10th Pak-Irannation.com.pk · not rated · cited for: supports
  5. 5Pakistan, Iran reaffirm USD 10 bn trade goal, advance FTAsiasat.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  6. 6Pakistan, Iran renew push for $10bn trade goal - Daily Timesdailytimes.com.pk · not rated · cited for: supports
  7. 7Is $10b Pak-Iran trade a pipe dream? | The Express Tribunetribune.com.pk · not rated · cited for: context
  8. 8Government of Pakistan - Economic Affairs Divisionead.gov.pk · not rated · cited for: context
  9. 9NIAS Area Studies: Pakistan- - Global Politicsglobalpolitics.in · not rated · cited for: context

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