Iran holds talks with Taliban officials to resume rail project

Iran is looking to resume work on a major railway project connecting a few countries together. Officials have been holding discussions with the Taliban as they look to move forward with the project.

An Iranian official revealed that talks are being held with the insurgent group that now governs Afghanistan regarding moving forward with the Khaf-Herat link, which is expected to bolster trading and relations between the two countries. Iranian Transit official Abbas Khatibi said that Tehran is prepared to make many investments, and both parties are willing to finish construction of the line that would start from Khaf in northeastern Iran to Herat in northwestern Afghanistan.

According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Khatibi said the project would bolster trade while lowering travel costs. Khatibi added that the line could also connect Afghanistan to Iran’s southern ports, and when the project is completed, there could potentially be a way to connect China to Turkey.

The rail project is part of the proposed $2 billion Five Nations Railway Corridor that would go through China, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, stretching around 2,000 kilometers. More than half the project is proposed for Afghanistan, which would run through several provinces such as Kunduz and Herat.

The first section of the railway project started in December 2020, linking Khaf with Rozanak in Afghanistan about 150 kilometers away. Plans to complete the line stalled in 2021 due to the US and the West’s military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of its western-backed government.

Meanwhile, Iran has recently stressed that it will not allow foreign governments to intervene with its national interests, following the sudden demand by Russia to the West of a guarantee that sanctions on Russia will not affect its trade relations with Iran. This also comes as a possible agreement may be on the horizon following the current round of discussions between Tehran and the Western powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the demand by Russia was “irrelevant,” citing that the issue is not related to the ongoing negotiations to revive the deal by lifting US sanctions on Iran while curbing its nuclear program.