Iranian and Russian finance ministers held ‘constructive’ talks, envoy says
Kazem Jalali highlights trade, banking, customs and transport priorities, including the Rasht–Astara railway and a proposed broad-gauge link to the Gulf
Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said Iran’s and Russia’s finance ministers held constructive talks in Moscow. He linked the discussions to broader efforts to expand bilateral trade and highlighted the need to address customs, banking, logistics and market-access barriers. Jalali also discussed transport cooperation, including the proposed Rasht–Astara railway and a possible broad-gauge line from Astara to Bandar Abbas as part of the North–South Corridor.
MOSCOW — Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said the finance ministers of Iran and Russia held constructive and productive talks in Moscow on Monday, describing the discussions as a potential opening for deeper economic cooperation between the two countries.
Jalali made the remarks on Monday evening at a meeting with Iranian businesspeople and traders living in Russia. The gathering was held at the Iranian Embassy residence in Moscow in the presence of Iran’s minister of economic affairs and finance.
According to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (IRNA), Jalali said the discussions between Iran’s finance minister, Madanizadeh, and his Russian counterpart could create a clearer outlook for bilateral relations. He also referred to a meeting between the presidents of Iran and Russia on September 10, 2026, on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, describing the subjects discussed there as constructive.
“The Iranian government has a serious determination to strengthen relations with Russia,” Jalali said, according to IRNA.
The ambassador identified Russia’s economic potential for Iran as an important area for future cooperation. He pointed in particular to the purchase of essential products and said trade between the two countries had followed a positive trend in recent years. With Russia’s large market in view, he added, serious commercial activity between the two sides had begun.
Jalali nevertheless said that expanding trade would require progress on several practical obstacles. He highlighted the importance of improving knowledge of each other’s markets, developing transit infrastructure, resolving customs-related problems, facilitating monetary and banking exchanges, and upgrading logistics.
Transport links were a central part of his remarks. Jalali referred to efforts by the Iranian government to strengthen transport infrastructure along the International North–South Transport Corridor. As one example, he cited follow-up work on an agreement to build the Rasht–Astara railway in northern Iran.
According to the ambassador, Iran’s minister of roads and urban development is pursuing the project more actively following an instruction from the president. The Russian side has said that the project could be completed within three years, Jalali said.
The Rasht–Astara line is being discussed as part of efforts to improve the rail component of the North–South Corridor, a route intended to connect transport networks linking Russia and other northern markets with Iran and the Persian Gulf. In his comments, Jalali also referred to a proposal to construct a second railway line from Astara to Bandar Abbas using Russian-gauge standards.
Jalali argued that a broad-gauge railway would be necessary if the rail section of the North–South Corridor is to be fully realised. He rejected criticism directed at the proposal and said the existing railway system in Iran does not use a purely domestic standard, but rather a western standard.
“Why should there be a problem with the railway on the Astara–Persian Gulf route being broad gauge?” he said, according to IRNA.
The ambassador further argued that the proposed line could provide benefits in both directions. In addition to supporting access toward Iran’s southern ports, he said, a broad-gauge connection could give Iran reciprocal access to the Baltic Sea’s waters.
Jalali’s remarks placed the finance ministers’ meeting within a broader agenda involving trade, infrastructure and connectivity. While he characterised the talks as constructive, his comments also underscored the logistical and financial challenges that remain for expanding economic exchanges. Customs procedures, banking arrangements, market knowledge and transport capacity were all identified as areas requiring further work.
Iran’s minister of economic affairs and finance had arrived in Moscow on Sunday for bilateral and multilateral consultations, IRNA reported. The ambassador’s comments were made during the minister’s visit and in a meeting focused on the concerns and opportunities facing Iranian businesses operating in Russia.