The first international freight transport train running on a railroad that links Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Turkey arrived in Tehran on Saturday as part of a joint effort to launch the corridor.
The container train, carrying sulfur, crossed into Iran through the northeastern Golestan Province on its way to the ultimate destination in Europe.   
Iran’s President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi will be hosting his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Tehran today during an official visit which is expected to see the two countries signing a railway cooperation agreement.
In a similar development, for the first time, a Russian shipment of two containers heading to India was loaded on a ship in Iran’s southern Bandar Abbas port to activate a long North-South corridor.
The cargo began its journey on a pilot test from Russia’s Saint Petersburg and made its way into Iran via the Caspian Sea. Then the consignment was railed into Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf to be sailed to India’s Nhava Sheva port on the Arabian Sea.
An official with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line Group (IRISL) told IRNA on Saturday the delivery of the cargo would pay off efforts to bring online the North-South corridor after more than two decades.
“Discussions to activate the corridor began in 1990s. Another attempt was made in 2000. And in 2018, transport ministers of Iran, Russia and India agreed in Saint Petersburg to launch the transit route but it was delayed due to lack of infrastructure,” Amir-Hossein Nazemi said.
 Nazemi added that Iran held intense talks with Russia over the past month to open the long-delayed corridor.
“After multilateral trade and political negotiations, it was decided that two containers would pass through this corridor on a pilot test in order to identify possible technical problems,” he said.
He added that Iran plans to deliver shipments on this route within 25 to 30 days which would reduce shipping costs by up to 40%.
“This shipment is just considered the beginning of a prosperous foreign transit along the North-South corridor, and in the near future we will see a boom in the transit of goods that will bring revenues for the governments of Russia, Iran and India,” Nazemi said.
 

Mohammad Sadegh Kooshki
Regional affairs expert

Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has repeated his false claims against Iran. Defending his delusional ideas of ‘maximum pressure’ and imposition of sanctions on Iran, he has advised the Biden administration to adopt the same policy. This is especially interesting since Pompeo and Trump failed to reap any benefit from it.
Pompeo once again explicitly admits that his country assassinated top Iranian military commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. The significance of this part lies in the fact that it reveals the essence of the US administration’s foreign policy.
Truly, it is the strongest evidence for proving that the US government’s functions are based on destabilizing bids and terrorism. What matters is that Washington’s confession was made by a top American official who held the highest positions in both foreign policy and intelligence departments, and said the administration’s terrorist and destabilizing behaviors had been preplanned. As a striking example of state terrorism, their behavioral pattern is essentially rooted in various forms of terrorism.
Pompeo has practically unveiled the principles of US foreign policy that allow the Americans to implement their terrorist plots in any region or country unless a country enjoys high deterrent power through its military and intelligence apparatuses.
Pompeo’s words show that countries need to boost their deterrent powers by strengthening their defense and intelligence systems and not to be content with the smiles and promises of the White House’s diplomats.
Unfortunately, the international bodies have shown that they do not possess enough willpower to deal with the destabilizing behaviors of the US. To this day, the United States has not been legally prosecuted for its terrorist acts and warmongering policies at the international level.
For this reason and according to this significant confession, the Islamic Republic of Iran is free to take any deterring measure it deems expedient and necessary against the US to ensure its security and serve its national interests. How, when, or where to take such deterring measures will be decided by Iran.
The reason why Americans, specifically Pompeo and Trump, have been afraid in the last one or two years since Lieutenant General Soleimani’s assassination derives from the same right Iran reserves to take.
 

Iran and Croatia on Saturday agreed to increase halal food trade as a three-day forum opened in Tehran to explore bilateral opportunities for the booming industry.  
The forum, hosted by Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, saw businesspeople from both countries calling for greater cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the Balkans over the halal food industry.
Gholamhossein Shafei, the chamber chairman, said Iran is among the top countries involved in the halal food industry, which is the third-largest one in the Islamic Republic after oil and gas and petrochemical industries.   
“Halal food has been one of the world’s booming industries in recent years, and its market value is projected to reach about $1 trillion by 2027. In 2020, Iran was the sixth-largest producer of halal food among 73 Muslim and non-Muslim countries,” Shafei said.
He added that halal food industry can play an “undeniable role” in stimulating economic growth by generating export revenues and creating employment.
“Given Iran’s capacities and capabilities, the Islamic Republic can possibly expand its food exports to various countries, including the southeast European nations, through careful planning and necessary investment,” Shafei pointed out.
He said Iran, thanks to its high food diversity, can supply foodstuff to the southeast European region, which has a population of 48 million, and import goods and machinery in return.
Shafei also noted that direct flights between Iran and the Balkans can help boost both trade and tourism.
Both sides agreed to hold the second such forum in the Croatian capital Zagreb in October to introduce trade and production capabilities and opportunities in Iran, Croatia and Eastern European countries.
Speaking at the event, Aldin Dugonjic, the head of Croatia’s Center for Halal Quality Certification, said special attentions need to be devoted to the capacities of Iran, and the Balkans in halal food trade.
“In Croatia, about 7,000 halal foods are produced in 250 certified plants. Iran, with a population of 85 million, can be a good market for Croatia,” Dugonjic said.