Iran and Afghanistan have agreed to deepen strategic cooperation in rail transport, with plans to raise monthly rail freight capacity between the two countries to 100,000 tons, Iranian officials said.According to the public relations office of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI), the decision was made during a meeting in Kabul between RAI Head Jabbarali Zakeri and Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs.The meeting was also attended by Afghanistan’s ministers of public works and mines and petroleum, Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan, and senior executives from the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) and Mobarakeh Steel Company.Zakeri, who is also a deputy transport minister, said rail freight volumes from Iran’s Shamtigh border crossing into Afghanistan had risen sharply over recent months. He noted that shipments stood at around 5,000 tons per month at the start of the current calendar year, but have increased to more than 70,000 tons per month following targeted planning and measures by Iran’s railways to facilitate exports and transit to Afghanistan.Zakeri stressed the strategic role of rail transport in supporting Afghanistan’s economic development and logistical stability, describing the planned Herat–Mazar-e-Sharif railway as the first phase of a broader Iran–Afghanistan–China strategic corridor.He also proposed the active involvement of private-sector rail operators from both countries in financing and implementing the project, suggesting Afghanistan’s mineral resources could serve as financial backing.Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister welcomed Iran’s proposal and praised the performance of the Khaf–Herat railway line, saying it had played an effective role in ensuring the steady supply of essential goods to Afghanistan.The two sides agreed to establish joint working committees to develop an operational and executive framework for cooperation on rail construction and mining projects.On November 27, Iran’s minister of industry, mining, and trade, during a meeting with his Afghan counterpart in Istanbul, emphasized the removal of trade barriers between the two countries.During the meeting between Nooruddin Azizi, the minister of commerce and industries of Afghanistan, and Seyed Mohammad Atabak, the minister of industry, mining, and trade of Iran, the two sides discussed and exchanged views on the development of trade cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan.Atabak, in this meeting, emphasized the necessity of expanding trade relations between the two countries and called for the removal of trade barriers between them.Azizi, for his part, stated: “Border trade with Iran is on the agenda, and we call for the facilitation of trade in this regard.”In this meeting, the two sides emphasized the removal of trade barriers and efforts to increase the volume of trade between Iran and Afghanistan, and understandings were reached in this regard.The Iranian minister, had traveled to Istanbul to participate in the fifth meeting of ECO trade ministers.Mahmoud Siadat, Head of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, has identified the development of transit and the smooth flow of customs procedures as one of Afghanistan's priorities, and said: "Afghanistan is ready for a leap forward and must prepare the ground by relying on the transfer of knowledge and modern technology; in this regard, Iran can be a good helper." (ICE TEHERAN)

Fonte notizia: Teharn Times