Iran’s minister of roads and urban development said that the transit of goods via Iranian territory has registered a 60% growth over the past Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023 to March 19, 2024), showing the security and cost-effectiveness of Iran’s transit route.

According to The Iran Project, Speaking in a meeting of the transport ministers of BRICS countries held through videoconference, Mehrdad Bazrpash pointed to the BRICS group of the emerging economies as a leading institution that can shape new trends in the world by presenting appropriate models and initiatives.

He went on to say that BRICS members can meet the mutual needs of one another and share their national and local development experiences in line with strengthening the well-being and peace in the world.

Iran’s permanent membership in the BRICS group of the emerging economies is considered as a historic progress and strategic success for the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said, adding that Iran has taken a fundamental step towards the development of communications in all transportation, trade and economic fields with BRICS members.

With its privileged geopolitical location and abundant transit advantages including intersections of the International North-South and North-East transport corridors and benefited from 11 commercial ports on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the ability to bond the regional and international trade networks through land in the shortest time possible, according to which, 700 million tons of cargo is transported annually through this network.

As one of the important corridors, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) with its appropriate advantages can boost synergy among BRICS member states in the transport and transit fields, Bazrpash added.

As stipulated in the statement of the tripartite meeting between Iran, India and Russia in Tehran on July 4, 2023, upgrading the current structure of the management of this corridor to the level of an international organization entitled "International North-South Corridor Organization" can lead to improve the organizational and management structure of this corridor and consequently, can improve international transportation and develop mixed transportation within the framework of this corridor.