Rouhani Says Shalamcheh-Basra Railway to Connect Iran to Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)
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Rouhani Says Shalamcheh-Basra Railway to Connect Iran to Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Reuters)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has promised to connect Iran to Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean through the Shalamcheh-Basra railway.

"Iran's Khorramshahr, Abadan, and Shalamcheh are located in a very important strategic area," said Rouhani during a video conference on Thursday.

"Per the agreement made with the Iraqi government on connecting Shalamcheh to Basra, we will be able to witness a fundamental change in this region,” he added.

"This will be a very big change and Iran's railway will be connected to Iraq and Syria, and in fact to the Mediterranean, which is very important," Rouhani stressed.

During his visit to Damascus on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif announced opening a consulate in Aleppo, as approved by the Syrian President to improve trade and economic ties between both countries.

According to SANA news agency, the two figures discussed bilateral relations and the ongoing coordination and consultation at all levels. They further tackled means of bolstering joint cooperation in various fields to serve both countries’ interests.

Sources revealed that establishing a railway link from Iran to the Mediterranean falls under the recently signed MoU between Iran and China.

The deal encourages Chinese investments in free trade zones and railways, in addition to highway road construction.

It also seeks to establish a joint industrial or services project in the third world country in order to contribute to the reconstruction in the region, including that in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.



EU Sanctions Iranian Individuals Accused of Targeting Dissidents

European Union flags fly outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
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EU Sanctions Iranian Individuals Accused of Targeting Dissidents

European Union flags fly outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

The EU has imposed sanctions on eight people and one entity responsible for the targeting of Iranian dissidents for assassination on behalf of Iran's government, the European Council said in a statement on Tuesday.

The sanctions, over what it called "serious human rights violations" and "transnational repression", included asset freezes and travel bans, the council said.

The Council listed the Zindashti Network, which it said was a criminal group uconnected to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security that has carried out numerous acts of transnational repression, including assassinations of Iranian dissidents, Reuters reported.

It also included the Zindashti Network's boss Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti - who it said was an Iranian narcotics trafficker and organised crime boss - and some of his associates. Zindashti and his network have previously been sanctioned by the United States.

The Council, the European Union's governing body, is also targeting Mohammed Ansari, the leader of the Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Unit 840, who it said ordered the assassination of journalists critical of the Iran.

It said that the listings confirmed the EU’s concerns about transnational repression by Iranian state bodies through the use of proxy agents, in particular involving criminals and organised crime networks targeting dissidents and human rights defenders across the world, including on EU territory.