A great rapprochement between Iran and Russia is at work, and it is on the shores of the Caspian Sea that it is playing out. In this common maritime space, in recent years, Moscow and Tehran have continued to increase their trade. Whether it is construction materials, wood, fertilizer or, more recently, weapons. To the point that hundreds of Iranian companies now have a storefront in the Russian port of Astrakhan, north of the Caspian. However, this rapprochement must soon be finalized by the signing of an unprecedented strategic cooperation agreement between the two regional powers. Signature which will be carefully staged during “a special visit” to Russia, by the new Iranian head of state, Massoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday, October 24. In the engagement basket nestles an old project revived, with the greatest discretion, in the shadow of the war in Ukraine. A stretch of railway of just 162 kilometers, located on the borders of the Caucasus, along the mountainous shores of the Caspian. In this blind spot of most Western chancelleries and intelligence services, President Putin has been active for many months, according to non-public documents, notably from JSC Russian Railways, the Russian railway company, which Le World was able to consult. And if nothing comes to hinder him, it is through this that he could succeed in finalizing one of the centerpieces of his great enterprise of secession from the West, at the same time as a major rapprochement with this other banished from the international community that is Iran. This small piece of railway track bears the names of the two cities that it is intended to ultimately connect: “Racht-Astara”. On one side, one of the largest towns in northern Iran, Racht, 700,000 inhabitants, once an important place for the silk trade; on the other, Astara, 50,000 inhabitants, straddling the Iran-Azerbaijan border. Two key urban centers, which, if connected by train, would allow Russia to take a decisive step in circumventing Western sanctions.
Direct access to the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean In reality, this railway project is the last missing link in a larger plan: the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) , intended to connect Russia to India over 7,200 kilometers, via Azerbaijan and Iranian ports, saving around twenty days on the current maritime route. To reach today, from Saint Petersburg, the Indian port of Bombay, via the Baltic Sea, Russian merchant ships must follow the Atlantic coast, cross the Mediterranean, then take the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, before to reach the Gulf of Aden. In total, a route of more than 16,000 kilometers, which takes thirty to forty-five days. Passing inland and the Caspian Sea, the journey is much shorter, but it currently involves numerous breaks in loads (train, road, boat). Another possibility certainly exists in the form of a railway line, east of the Caspian, but it takes a long detour through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. You have 84.38% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
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Author : News7
Publish date : 2024-10-27 08:39:10
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