TEHRAN, Iran � Iran�s non-oil balance of trade turned positive in the past Iranian year, which ended March 19. The $916 million trade surplus is the country�s first since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. On April 4, President Hassan Rouhani hailed it as an achievement that the country secured despite international sanctions as well as low oil prices.

�Last year, non-oil exports exceeded non-oil imports for the first time since the Islamic Revolution. Progress has been achieved through the support and participation of the people as well as their unity,� Rouhani said.

Figures published by Iran�s Customs Administration for the past Iranian calendar year put non-oil exports at $42.4�billion and imports at $41.5�billion. The non-oil trade balance turned positive as exports witnessed declines of 16.1% and imports declined by 22.5%, compared with the same period in the previous Iranian year.

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This article was written by Maysam Biz�r for Al-Monitor on May. 1, 2016. Maysam Biz�r is the former editor-in-chief of the Iran Desk at Press TV's website department.