Russia-Iran exports via INSTC grow 56% in 4 months

ST. PETERSBURG, June 9. /TASS/. Exports from Russia to Iran via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) grew by more than 56% year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin told TASS in an interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

According to the minister, the geopolitical situation in the Middle East has significantly accelerated the development of the country's eastern and southern corridors.

"In the first four months of 2026, we saw exports to Iran grow by more than 56%. Overall, cargo traffic along the North-South corridor grew by 87%," Nikitin said.

The minister added that the most active dynamics were observed on the Trans-Caspian route through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, where growth was 98%. This corridor reduces travel time from the Baltic to South Asia to 15-20 days, twice as quick as the route through the Suez Canal.

Nikitin also noted that shipments with China exceeded 186 million tons in 2025. He also noted an increase in traffic. Also, on the Western route through Azerbaijan, the capacity of checkpoints has increased fivefold, to 1,900 trucks per day.

SPIEF-2026 was held from June 3 to 6 under the theme "Pragmatic Dialogue: The Path to a Stable Future." According to Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the Russian President and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee, the event brought together representatives from 142 countries, with more than 1,000 agreements signed for a total of over 6.642 trillion rubles (around $90.6 bln). The forum was organized by the Roscongress Foundation, with TASS serving as its general information partner.