Iran urges stronger transport ties with Tajikistan

Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Farzaneh Sadegh, met with Tajikistan's Minister of Transport Azim Ibrohim and Minister of Energy and Water Resources Dalir Jum'a in Tehran to discuss expanding bilateral transport cooperation.

Sadegh highlighted a notable increase in international rail freight between Iran and Tajikistan in 2025 compared to the previous year, attributing this growth to the depth of bilateral relations and the administration's emphasis on transport diplomacy. She announced that the Chabahar-Zahedan railroad link would become operational within the next three months, noting that track-laying on the route has been completed.

The minister emphasized that Chabahar could help boost Tajikistan's logistics hub and provide it with access to open waters, adding that Iran welcomes Tajik investment in Chabahar Port. She also described the Aprin dry port near Tehran as an important opportunity for cooperation and proposed that Tajik officials visit the facility. Iran would welcome joint Tajik investment in Aprin and other Iranian ports.

Sadegh called for the immediate resolution of road-transport problems between the two countries and expressed support for multilateral negotiations on the Iran-Afghanistan-Tajikistan-China corridor. She also urged increasing air connections, promoting tourism, and examining reciprocal discounts, asking Iran's Civil Aviation Organization to follow up on the matter.

Concluding, she stressed that all proposals concerning rail, road, air, port, and logistics cooperation should be submitted in writing as soon as possible and incorporated into a joint document. According to Mehr News Agency, the meeting underscored the mutual interest in deepening transport links between the two nations.