Speaking at the online scientific and practical conference titled “Russia-Iran Cooperation in a Changing World,” held in Moscow on Wednesday, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali outlined a range of joint economic and strategic projects between Tehran and Moscow.
Referring to bilateral cooperation projects, particularly the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Jalali said recent developments have further underscored the importance of the route.
“Given that international waterways and straits have come under threat, the importance of non-maritime routes has become more evident than ever. One of the major routes is the North-South Corridor, which is being strengthened through the determination of regional countries, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia,” he said.
The ambassador noted that more than 3 million tons of cargo currently pass through the eastern section of the corridor, which has a capacity of up to 15 million tons. He added that around 10 million tons of cargo have been transported through the middle section via the Caspian Sea, which has a capacity of 14 million tons.
Jalali also said that more than 3 million tons of goods pass through the western section of the corridor via the Republic of Azerbaijan and stressed the need to complete the Rasht-Astara railway project to strengthen that route.
The ambassador also described plans to transfer Russian gas through Iranian territory and transport strategic goods to Eurasian countries, particularly Russia, as among the growing areas of economic cooperation between the two countries.
Turning to nuclear cooperation, Jalali said the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is currently operational, while the second and third units are under construction.
“We thank our Russian friends for gradually returning experts and engineers to Iran,” he said.
He added that Iran is also pursuing the large-scale Hormuz Nuclear Power Plant project and revealed that Tehran and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding worth $25 billion in 2025.
“This is Iran’s largest nuclear project. It is being carried out by Iran’s private sector in cooperation with Rosatom,” Jalali stated.
The ambassador also cited joint work on small-scale nuclear power plants in cooperation with the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and expressed hope that the project would begin as soon as possible.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Jalali said cooperation and joint research between Iran and Russia in the field of radiopharmaceutical production are expanding rapidly.
“Iran has made remarkable progress in this field. Today, we produce 70 radiopharmaceutical products,” he said.
According to the ambassador, Iran ranked among the world's top three producers of radiopharmaceuticals in 2025, demonstrating that the country seeks to utilize nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.