Russia says it plans to organize regular shipping lines with Iran

In 2025, regular sea transportation and cruise tourist shipping between Iran and Russia may be organized. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Transport on January 17.

"In 2025 we plan to organize regular shipping lines and cruise tourist shipping between the ports of Russia and Iran on the Caspian Sea," the ministry said in a publication in Telegram.

It is also noted that the route of the Resht-Astara railroad has been finally agreed upon. This section is an unfinished part of the North-South Transport Corridor (NSC).

Land Participation: Russia and Iran discuss steps to build the Resht-Astara Road

What are the prospects for the development of the North-South corridor and how are the relations between Moscow and Tehran shaping up?

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Moscow and Tehran have almost completely switched to settlements in national currencies and are working on interfacing payment systems. According to his data, the share of transactions in Russian rubles and Iranian rials exceeded 95% of all bilateral trade transactions in 2024.