WANA (May 31) – Tajikistan has signed a new memorandum of understanding( MOU) with Iran aimed at strengthening and expanding its railway trade. The agreement, which permits Iranian freight wagons to operate on Tajikistan’s railway network, is expected to contribute to the commercialization of the East–West and North–South transport corridors that pass through Iranian territory.

 

Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia that gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. To expand its foreign trade, the country seeks access to the warm southern waters. Given its shared border with China and historical role as part of the ancient Silk Road, Tajikistan is considered a strategic link in the East–West corridor that runs through Iran, according to experts.

 

The memorandum was signed on Thursday, May 29, by Jabbarali Zakeri, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development and CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, and the Director of the State Unitary Enterprise “Tajik Railway.”

 

The agreement, aligned with Iran’s policy of developing railway diplomacy, aims to optimize the use of existing transit capacities, enhance regional economic growth, and expand international rail freight operations. It authorizes Iranian wagons to move freely within Tajikistan’s rail network.

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref’s visit to Tajikistan and meeting with the Prime Minister of Tajikistan on May 29, 2025. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Another key provision of the agreement allows Iranian wagons operating in Tajikistan to be dispatched to other railway networks. Since Tajikistan and other former Soviet republics use the same track gauge and have harmonized railway regulations inherited from the USSR era, this agreement facilitates the movement of Iranian railcars across a wide regional network.

 

Transport and transit expert Mehdi Bagheri stated that this agreement between Iran and Tajikistan marks a major step toward operationalizing the East–West and North–South corridors via Iran, paving the way for increased regional trade and more efficient transit logistics.

 

This memorandum of understanding, along with three others, was signed during Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Aref’s visit to Tajikistan. The agreements were exchanged in the presence of the First Vice President of Iran and the Prime Minister of Tajikistan.

 

The four MoUs included a memorandum of understanding between Iran’s Ministry of Labor and the Tajikistan’s institute of labor and employment studies, an MoU on the implementation of a plan to establish an Iran-Tajikistan technology center, an MoU between the railway authorities of Iran and Tajikistan to boost transportation cooperation, and an MoU on the settlement of financial claims between the Iranian company Farab and the Tajik Ministry of Energy.