Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade Mohammad Atabak meets with Russia officials in Moscow on September 23, 2025.

IRNA – Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade Mohammad Atabak has emphasized Iran’s determination to finalize the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

Atabak is in the Russian capital to attend the first joint committee for the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

He made the remarks in a meeting with Maxim Reshetnikov, the Russian Minister of Economic Development, on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Atabak underscored Iran’s strategic focus on the INSTC, a major multi-modal transportation route designed to connect Russia to India and the Persian Gulf through Iran.

He announced that preparations for the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway link, adding that the executive phase will begin in the coming months.

The Iranian minister also highlighted the vital role of the private sectors of both nations in expanding trade relations.

Reshetnikov, for his part, pointed to a significant 35% growth in trade between Iran and Russia during the initial months of a comprehensive FTA between Iran and the EAEU (May and June 2025) compared to the same period last year. 

In a separate meeting, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk also confirmed a 35% increase in trade turnover since the agreement came into force, signaling a positive assessment from the Russian government of the current trajectory of bilateral relations.