Iran offers technical help to Tajikistan’s power grid, promotes Chabahar port
Tehran seeks faster rail, road, air links with Dushanbe
Iran offered technical assistance to help improve Tajikistan’s power grid, while also promoting the use of the Chabahar port for Tajik access to open waters on Sunday, as the two countries moved to accelerate cooperation in electricity, water and transport, Iranian officials said.
During a meeting in Tehran Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi and Tajik Energy and Water Resources Minister Daler Juma on Sunday reviewed ways to expand economic and cultural ties between the two countries, including cooperation in water and electricity.
“At this meeting, we discussed the development and future of cooperation in line with common goals in the fields of culture, tourism, scientific and technical activities, and water and electricity,” Aliabadi said, according to IRNA.
Referring to challenges facing Tajikistan’s power grid, Aliabadi said, “Iran is ready for any technical cooperation to improve and develop the electricity sector in Tajikistan.”
Juma said the meeting covered economic, commercial, technical and cultural cooperation, with an emphasis on increasing trade relations.
The condition of joint dams, energy and logistics issues, cultural and information matters, and the development of human resources at power plants were also discussed, he said.
Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadeq, meanwhile, met Tajik officials including Daler Juma an and Transport Minister Aziz Ibrahim and called for faster implementation of transport projects in rail, road, air, port and logistics sectors.
Sadeq referred to an increase in rail freight between the two countries in 2025 compared with the previous year, adding the growth shows the depth of relations and the government’s emphasis on transport diplomacy.
Chabahar to boost Tajik access to open waters
Sadeq said rail-laying on the route between Iran’s southeastern port city of Chabahar and Zahedan had been completed and the link would become operational within three months.
“Chabahar can strengthen Tajikistan’s access to open waters and boost its logistics position,” she said.
Sadeq also said Iran welcomed Tajik investment in Chabahar port.
She described Tehran’s Aprin dry port as an important capacity for cooperation and proposed that Tajik officials visit the facility. She also welcomed joint Tajik investment in Aprin and other Iranian ports.
Road transport, new corridors
Sadeq called for the immediate resolution of road transport problems between the two countries and said Iran welcomed multilateral talks on a proposed Iran-Afghanistan-Tajikistan-China corridor.
She also said the Farah Road in Afghanistan was expected to open in about a month, which could provide an opportunity for cooperation among the three countries.
Sadeq called for more flights, reciprocal discounts and greater tourism cooperation, and asked Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization to follow up on the issues.
The minister also called for the formation of an executive committee under the countries’ joint commission to accelerate follow-up on the issues.
Separately, Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization chief Abuzar Shiroudi met Abdulkosim Valiev, CEO at Somon Air, on Sunday to discuss resuming the airline’s flights to Iran, expanding air transport cooperation and removing obstacles to the resumption of services, Mehr news agency reported.
Somon Air had operated two weekly flights to Iran before the US-Israeli war began in late February, but the flights were suspended because of the resulting conditions. The Tajik side is now seeking to resume the flights and expand air cooperation with Iran.
Under an existing memorandum of understanding between Iran and Tajikistan, the two countries have capacity for 23 weekly flights.