Page 49 - IRANRptNov19

studying their status for transfer to the private sector for investment activity and development.”
Significant investment has been ploughed into ports that are nodes in international transport corridor networks under development, for instance the Russian-led International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and routes favoured by China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI envisages using Iran as a hub for connections to other countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. The plan to offload many of the more modest and lossmaking ports comes as increased investment has been announced for a significant upgrade of ​Bandar Anzali port​ on the Caspian Sea.
Khatam al-Anbia Construction Headquarters, controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has won a contract to build a new roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) ferry terminal at the port.
It is estimated that an overall new port area, which will be covered by the Anzali Free Trade Zone (AFTZ), will cost more than IRR1tn (around $87mn at the free market rate), officials said. But, as with other projects implemented by Khatam al-Anbia, the financial details will not be released.
Iran and Turkey are in discussions for the launching of a weekly round trip train service between Tehran and Istanbul, Mehr News Agency reported on August 27. ​The announcement follows the recent​ ​relaunching of the Tehran-Ankara train​, ​which was suspended for four years after an explosion on the line allegedly caused by PKK Kurdish militants. Seen as a low-cost way to get between the neighbouring countries, the route remains popular with those looking for an affordable vacation.
Saeed Rasuli, ​director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways​ (​ RAI), said negotiations had begun with State Railways of the Republic of Turkey (TCDD) on launching the Istanbul-Tehran route.
Rasuli added that the two sides had long planned to connect the Iranian capital with Turkey’s biggest city and cultural and commercial capital, but issues including security and economic sanctions had pushed the project on to the backburner.
Iran’s railways have undergone substantial expansion in recent years, including investment in connections with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The use of Iranian rail knowhow in connecting the region may conceivably contribute to developing China’s huge Belt and Road trade transport infrastructure initiative and the​ ​International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) which aims to ease the passage of goods travelling routes between the west coast of India and northern Russia and northern Europe, via Iran and Azerbaijan.
9.1.5 ​TMT sector news
Iranian Minister of Communications Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi has said Iran is offering Qatar the chance to hire companies from the Islamic Republic to work with the small Persian Gulf Arab kingdom in preparing the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to a report from ILNA.
Iran, unless it is relieved of the heavy sanctions regime imposed on it by the US, is unlikely to play a part in the official proceedings of the football tournament, but there is potential for third-party companies, including those offering food and construction materials such as steel and cement, to play a role in the build-up to the big event.
The Iranian minister met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on the sidelines of the current Qatar Information Technology
49​ IRAN Country Report​ November 2019 www.intellinews.com