Russia's coal has been exported to India through Iran's railway for the first time, Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) Miad Salehi said.

According to The Iran Project, he wrote on his social media account on Saturday that seven freight wagons containing 9,500 tons of Russian coal were exported to India through Iran's railway track in the last 40 days for the first time in the history of the railway.

He also expressed hope that, according to President-Elect Masoud Pezeshkian's recent note and according to his emphasis on cooperation with neighbors, China and Russia, the country's transit would increase continuously.

Russia has for the first time sent two trains laden with coal to India via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which connects Russia to India via Iran, according to a statement by Russia’s National Railway Company.

A multimodal route that includes a railway, roadway network, and seaports, the INSTC spans 7,200km (4,500 miles) from St. Petersburg to the port of Mumbai in India.

The coal will be shipped by sea along the final part of the route from Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas to the Indian port of Mumbai.

The corridor is part of Russia’s push to find new transport routes in light of Western sanctions, which have forced it to shift trade flows from Europe to Asia and the Middle East.

Construction of the INSTC started in the early 2000s, but developing it further has taken on a new impetus in light of Moscow's restrictions. New Delhi has also touted the route as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.