Iran dismisses US concern over expansion of cooperation with neighbors

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has rejected as “unjustified and invalid” concerns voiced by the Joe Biden administration over Tehran’s expansion of trade cooperation with other states, saying the latest agreements with Russia and Pakistan are in line with Iran’s emphasis on the policy of good neighborliness.

Nasser Kan’ani wrote in a post published on his Twitter page on Thursday that the signing of an agreement on the completion of the Rasht-Astara railroad, with Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin attending the ceremony via videoconference, as well as the inauguration of joint border projects in the presence of Raeisi and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif are all part of Iran’s “neighbor-oriented” policy.

He highlighted that such a strategy is based upon “cooperation for common security, development and welfare.”

Kan’ani's remarks came after the US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson voiced concern over the recent agreement between Iran and Russia on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railroad – a vital section of the North-South Corridor that connects South Asia to North Europe.

Iran, Russia sign deal on construction of strategic Rasht-Astara railway

Iran and Russia sign an agreement on the construction of the strategic Rasht-Astara railway.

“Any steps or any project being undertaken to go around sanctions is something that we of course would find deeply concerning,” Vedant Patel said at a press briefing on May 17.

The agreement signed on Wednesday would facilitate the completion of a strategic part of the corridor, which stretches for 162 kilometers and connects the northern Iranian city of Rasht to Astara that lies on the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan.

According to the Iranian president’s website, Russia will make an investment of 1.6 billion euros in the railroad project, which is expected to come into operation within 48 months.

Moreover, the Iranian president and the Pakistani prime minister inaugurated the Pishin-Mand retail market at a border crossing between the two neighbors on Thursday.

Iran, Pakistan explore ways to enhance bilateral ties

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The retail market was opened up at the border crossing that connects Iran’s southeastern city of Pishin to Pakistan’s southwestern city of Mand.

The two heads of state also launched an electricity exchange station that connects the power lines between Iran’s Pollan and Pakistan’s Jiwani.

Iran rejects any connection with people arrested in neighboring Azerbaijan

Separately on Thursday, Kan’ani dismissed any link between Tehran and a number of Azerbaijani nationals recently detained on charges of affiliation to Iranian institutions.

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry roundly dismissed a series of accusations that the Republic of Azerbaijan has lately leveled against the Islamic Republic.

“Unfortunately, the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has been arresting and putting its citizens behind bars for some time on false allegations and charges of links with Iranian organizations,” he tweeted, refuting any sort of link whatsoever between Iran and those arrested in the former Soviet republic.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry, security service and the office of prosecutor general said at least nine Azeri nationals had been arrested, suspected of being “linked to Iranian secret services and of plotting a coup and assassinations.”

Kan’ani stressed that the relationships between the citizens of the two countries are heartfelt, emotional, historical, religious and even family-oriented.

“The government of the Republic of Azerbaijan should not attribute such deep-rooted and historical bonds of its nationals to security issues or associate them with neighbors,” he stressed.

Iran expelled four Azerbaijani diplomats in tit-for-tat measure

The measure is a response to Baku’s decision last month to expel four Iranian embassy employees over what it called “provocative actions”.

The senior Iranian diplomat also highlighted that every government reserves the very right to take measures against its law-breaking citizens, but underlined that Baku’s arrest and imprisonment of many Azerbaijani nationals under the false pretext of connection with Iran is unacceptable.

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