Hooshang Bazvand, Iran’s deputy minister of roads and urban development, told Tasnim on Sunday that the agreement had to be approved either by the Parliament or the SNSC.
He said the Russian side had requested that Iran, like Russia, secure parliamentary approval for the agreement, but following consultations and efforts, the SNSC ratified it last week.
Bazvand said implementation would now proceed at a faster pace, noting that the remaining 37 kilometers of land along the railroad route were handed over to the Russian company last Wednesday. This means the entire 162-kilometer route has been made available for the necessary studies and field assessments, he noted.
The Rasht-Astara railroad is essential to completing the North-South rail corridor and constitutes a major component of international cooperation to develop transport infrastructure in Iran and the wider region, he added.