Azerbaijan eyes Shahid Rajaee Port investment
Iran, Russia set 5m ton Caspian cargo target: Deputy minister
The Iranian deputy minister of roads and urban development announced on Wednesday that the Republic of Azerbaijan has expressed clear interest in investing in Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port in Hormozgan Province as preliminary negotiations are already underway.
This is while Iran and Russia have set a joint target of moving five million tons of cargo annually through the Caspian Sea route.
“Azerbaijan is interested in investing in Shahid Rajaee Port, and we are fully prepared to facilitate this. This collaboration will undoubtedly increase transit volumes between our two countries,” Saeed Rasouli, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting of governors from Caspian Sea littoral states in Rasht, IRNA reported.
“We have had discussions on this matter,” he added.
Rasouli said that during a recent visit to Azerbaijan, Iranian officials received detailed assessments of that country’s port infrastructure, revealing mutual interest in expanding freight and tourism cooperation. “There is strong appetite on both sides to develop cargo and tourism links — an avenue that can significantly boost bilateral trade,” he said.
Separately, Rasouli confirmed that Iran and Russia, under a transport cooperation roadmap signed last year by their respective ministers, have committed to handling five million tons of cargo annually via the Caspian Sea route by 2025.
“Both nations must expand their loading, unloading, and storage capacities, and modernize their maritime fleets,” he said, citing the comprehensive agreement covering maritime, rail, road, and air transport corridors.
According to the official, Iran’s northern ports currently possess a combined cargo handling capacity of 30 million tons annually, yet less than one-third of that capacity is utilized.
“Without new investment, these northern ports sit underused,” Rasouli noted. “We must optimize this existing asset — especially given the declining water levels in the Caspian Sea. We cannot afford to waste this infrastructure. The key is deeper connectivity with other Caspian nations to unlock this potential.”
The gathering in the northern city of Rasht in Gilan Province, attended by governors from all Caspian littoral provinces, was highlighted by Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadeq Malvajerd as uniquely positioned to drive tangible outcomes. “This forum has a distinctive advantage over other international forums,” the minister said.
He said that the event stands out among international gatherings because “governors of the Caspian littoral provinces are present, and they can take operational steps based on the decisions made and play a role in expanding cooperation.”