Iran, China inaugurate new freight train route via Turkmenistan
The Islamic Republic has been steadily expanding its trade routes with allied nations as part of a strategy to overcome unilateral western sanctions
A new railway line connecting China and Iran through Turkmenistan was launched on 16 July, with the departure of the first Chinese transit train Headed to Tehran from Shaanxi province in northwestern China.
According to the Iranian Ambassador to China, Mohsen Bakhtiar, the train is expected to arrive in Tehran in about 10 days. After passing through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, it will enter the Islamic Republic via the Inche–Burun checkpoint.
Bakhtiar stressed that the launch of this route is part of the Iranian embassy’s “efforts to strengthen the country’s transit potential by ensuring the transportation of Chinese goods to West Asia and Europe,” according to the Times of Central Asia.
Over the past several years, Iran has expanded its trade routes with allied nations, most prominently via the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Last year, Iran’s late president Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin signed an agreement to create the Rasht–Astara railway, expected to boost the INSTC by connecting South Asia to northern Europe and potentially “rivaling” the Suez Canal.
A few weeks after this, Raisi inaugurated the second phase of the Mianeh–Tabriz railway mega project, which will connect Iranian railways to Europe for the first time.
Incoming president Masoud Pezeshkian recently confirmed he would continue on the path laid down by his predecessor. He said the Islamic Republic will continue prioritizing bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Russia and China, particularly within frameworks such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Eurasia Economic Union.