Russia and Iran Extend Fuel Rail Network Through Afghanistan

Russia’s first rail-linked diesel shipments to Afghanistan via Iran highlight a new fuel transit route that hinges on the partially completed Khaf–Herat railway and broader regional transport politics, according to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on December 12.

Iran’s Northern Railway director general, Rahman Masoomi, stated that a 5,000-tonne shipment of Russian diesel is being routed through Iran, with the fuel being transferred to Amirabad Port on the Caspian Sea before being transported by rail to Afghanistan.

The rail move followed Iran’s first fuel export to Afghanistan by rail, when a 1,120-tonne diesel consignment in 20 wagons entered Afghanistan via the Khaf–Herat line and the Shamtigh border crossing, Afghanistan, on October 30.

In Afghanistan’s Herat province, construction has begun on oil storage facilities at Rozanak station to support unloading and distribution, with the first phase designed to store 1,000 tons of diesel and gasoline.

For Russia, cooperation within the International North-South Transport Corridor is becoming an increasingly important vehicle for networked economic and political cooperation, linking Russia with Iran, Afghanistan, and the wider Central Asia region.

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This cooperation forms a core pillar of Moscow’s foreign policy and foreign trade strategy.

Framed as a platform for building new supply chains that reduce reliance on Western-facing routes, the corridor elevates eastern partners into a central role in the Kremlin’s effort to rewire regional logistics through rail, port, and overland connections running via Iran toward Central and South Asian markets.

The route’s viability depends in part on Iran’s wider rail capacity, and IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, quoted Iran Railways official Noorollah Beiranvand as saying it was expected that “more than $17 billion” in investment would be needed to meet targets set under Iran’s development plan, including raising rail freight’s share to 30%.

Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian intelligence described Russia’s deepening economic footprint in Iran—including major infrastructure projects—as increasingly undermined by mistrust, espionage, and competing interests.

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