Iran is increasingly interested in investing in infrastructure for a north-south economic corridor that would link the Caspian Sea with the Persian Gulf.
This is part of a much wider plan that Tehran has been interested in for many years. Its overall goal would be to bring Russia and Iran closer together.
“Iran is ready to establish logistics bases in its southern ports for the littoral states of the Caspian Sea, the minister of industry, mine, and trade says,” Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s official news agency, reported Tuesday.
This will encourage investment to “develop the infrastructure of the Caspian-Persian Gulf corridor and establish logistics bases in its southern ports for the littoral states of the Caspian Sea,” the report said.
Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade Mohammad Atabak discussed this on Tuesday at the Caspian Economic Forum in Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held meetings with officials from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on the sidelines of the third Caspian Economic Forum, illustrating this event’s importance to Iran.
Atabak “stressed the importance of leveraging agreements such as the Caspian Economic Agreement and the Trans-Caspian Corridor to increase transactions between member states,” IRNA reported.
This will increasingly enable Iran to interact with various non-Western economic blocs, such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others) and also SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), thereby fostering cooperation with Central Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Russia.
At the Caspian Economic Forum, the Iranians discussed the need to “develop the untapped potential of the oil and gas industry, and promote tourism in the Caspian region,” IRNA reported.
Meanwhile, Tajikistani Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda and Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref discussed a joint Iran-Tajikistan economic cooperation commission.
“Aref highlighted that the economies of Iran and Tajikistan can complement each other,” IRNA reported. “He called for the activation of the private sectors in both Iran and Tajikistan.”
Among the sectors the countries are focused on are “technical engineering services, pharmaceutical, technology, agriculture, energy, transportation, tourism, and the use of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas ports,” the report said.
The topic of ports is important because it ties into the wider north-south economic corridor.
“The Tajik government attaches importance to implementing the long-term commercial program by 2030 and the implementation of the two countries’ road maps,” the report said.
The Caspian connection
In addition, Aref met with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov. Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea.
“[Aref] stressed the need to prepare a comprehensive strategic plan by the Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Commission and to promote the level of trade transactions between the two countries,” IRNA reported.
Russian Deputy Transport Minister Dmitry Zverev and Saeed Rasouli, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, “emphasized the efforts made by Tehran and Moscow to increase transit through Caspian Sea, facilitate container transport, and the launch of the maritime cruise between Anzali and Astarakhan,” IRNA reported.
Russia is seeking to equip Makhachkala Port to facilitate expansion of trade.
Iran’s “Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran is ready to hold a special meeting with Moscow to achieve a comprehensive maritime roadmap and a joint action plan,” Rasouli was quoted as saying.
Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh and Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit signed a road map of Iran-Russia cooperation in transportation and transit fields for 2025.
All of this points to increased Iranian focus on countries to the north and their links, via Iran, to the Persian Gulf.
One key country in the Gulf that Iran is focused on is Qatar. Tehran welcomed Qatar’s emir for a visit this week. Iran will likely be discussing expanding cooperation in the Persian Gulf and Doha’s possibilities for investment.