Iran, Russia push Rasht-Astara railway as missing link in INSTC
Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, on Thursday met Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin to discuss transport cooperation, including the Rasht-Astara railway and plans for a Caspian Sea cruise line, Iran’s Embassy said.
The talks, attended by Russia’s Transport Ministry officials, highlighted the need to speed up work on the Rasht-Astara line, described as the missing link in the western branch of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The railway would connect Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran and handle at least 15 million tons of freight annually, IRNA reported.
Meanwhile, Nikitin said road freight transport between the two countries grew 12.8% in 2024 and is expanding rapidly, Russia’s TASS news agency reported. The talks also covered ways to increase cargo flows along the INSTC, develop multimodal transport with integrated rail and maritime tariffs, and explore the launch of a cruise shipping line between Caspian Sea ports.
The Russian Transport Ministry also noted positive trends in air travel.
Aeroflot resumed Moscow-Tehran flights on Aug. 6, 2025, while Iran’s Mahan Air operates routes between Tehran and Moscow and between Tehran and Grozny.