MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The development of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) remains one of Russia's key strategic priorities, Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev said at a meeting of Russia's Transport Ministry on Friday.
He said that according to preliminary data, cargo traffic along the corridor reached about 21.5 million tons in 2025.
The INSTC is a multimodal transportation network that spans roughly 7,200 km, extending from St. Petersburg to the port of Mumbai. It consists of three primary routes: the Trans-Caspian route, which combines railways and ports, as well as the western and eastern overland routes.
In 2023, Iran and Russia signed agreements for the construction of a railway inside Iran as part of the INSTC. The 162-km railway, the final missing link of the corridor's western route, will connect the northern Iranian cities of Rasht and Astara upon completion.
Meanwhile, Russia on Friday warned that Israel's attack on Iran's northern port of Bandar Anzali could heighten regional tensions and risk drawing Caspian states into the military conflict.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement that Wednesday's strike on Bandar Anzali, a key trade and logistics hub on the Caspian Sea, has affected the economic interests of Russia and other regional countries maintaining transport links with Iran. ■