Prime Minister Wael al Halki said Iran supplied the recent shipment to ease shortages he blamed on rebels who have since last July gained territory in and around the northern city of Aleppo, the country's economic hub and largest city, capturing at least 20 state mills.

"Our friend the Islamic republic of Iran has responded to our request by supplying 100,000 tonnes of flour," Halki told parliament without giving details of the terms of the deal.

The Syrian government was seeking to import more grains and flour to cover supply shortages, he added without elaborating.

Traders say some of those deals are barter transactions.

Private mills and imports from Lebanon and Ukraine are compensating for production lost from Aleppo, which had supplied at least 60 percent of the country's flour milling needs before the civil war, according to traders and officials.