TEHRAN – Iran’s international rail freight volume has exceeded five million tons so far this year, setting a new record in the country’s railway transport history, a senior official at the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways said.

Shahriar Naqizadeh, director general of international commercial affairs at the railway company, said the milestone was reached on February 24, 2026, earlier than last year when the five-million-ton mark was achieved by year-end.

He said the figure represents a seven percent increase compared with the same date last year, despite what he described as intense sanctions and political pressure affecting international rail operations.

Naqizadeh said countries using Iran as a transit route face exposure to U.S. and European Union sanctions, complicating logistics and financial transactions. However, he added that expanded rail diplomacy and operational coordination helped offset those constraints.

He pointed to a six-party rail agreement along the China–Europe railway corridor, as well as trilateral arrangements under the International North–South Transit Corridor (INSTC) involving Russia and Turkmenistan on the eastern branch and Azerbaijan on the western branch. He also cited a separate trilateral rail agreement between Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.

The agreements, he said, have facilitated higher transit volumes across key regional corridors, reinforcing Iran’s position as a land bridge linking Asia and Europe.

EF/MA