Transparency International - Georgia has released a report indicating that Georgia's economic relations with Iran have expanded significantly since Georgian Dream coming to power.
According to the report the number of Iranian businesses registered in Georgia increased ten-fold from 2013 to 2024 as compared to period between 2000 and 2012 (2,370 and 9,300 respectively).
Visitor numbers have also surged. In 2012, 82,885 Iranians entered Georgia, while in 2024, the number had doubled to 145,670. Trade volume between the two countries has also expanded. In 2012, Georgia’s trade turnover with Iran was $119 million ($19 million in exports and $101 million in imports). By 2024, it had grown 2.7 times to $322 million ($37 million in exports and $285 million in imports).
Direct foreign investment from Iran has likewise increased dramatically. Between 2001 and 2012, Iran invested $8 million in Georgia, but between 2013 and 2024, this figure grew fivefold to $40 million.
Alongside deepening economic ties, the ruling Georgian Dream government has strengthened its political alignment with Iran. In May 2024, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze attended the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, marking an unprecedented level of engagement with Tehran. Shortly thereafter, he made another high-profile visit to Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. During the ceremony, Kobakhidze appeared in the Iranian parliament alongside leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other designated terrorist organizations, as chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” echoed throughout the hall.
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