Dmitry Stanislavovich Zverev, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport, met with Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Seyyed Ali Madanizadeh at the Iranian Embassy in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the development of transport infrastructure and the latest progress on the rail project.

Madanizadeh underscored Tehran’s firm commitment to expanding international transport infrastructure in northern Iran and said the country was prepared to move ahead with the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway in the near future.

Zverev reviewed the current operational status of various sections of the North-South transport corridor and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to continued cooperation with Iran on the construction of the Rasht-Astara rail link. He also briefed the Iranian side on the latest developments surrounding the project.

The two sides stressed the need to sign the implementation agreement for the strategically important infrastructure project as soon as possible and discussed the requirements for moving it forward.

The Rasht-Astara railway is regarded as a critical link in the INSTC, a multimodal transport network designed to connect Russia and other northern Eurasian markets with Iran and destinations farther south. Completion of the rail link would strengthen the corridor’s continuity and could facilitate the movement of freight between the participating markets.