Report On Iranian-Owned And Run Port In Astrakhan, Russia: This Is The Most Active Port On The Caspian Sea; It Embodies Cooperation Between Russia And Iran

Channel 1 (Iran) aired on January 1, 2025 a report on an Iranian owned and managed port in Russia, off the coast of the Caspian Sea. Daryoush Jamali, the director of the port, said that this port is the “embodiment” of the cooperation between Iran and Russia. He explained that the port belongs to both Iran and Russia with 53% of the shares belonging to the Iranian government and 25% to the Russian government. According to the report, the Solyanka Port in Astrakhan is the port with the most traffic of all the Russian ports on the Caspian Sea, and through this port, Russian grain, animal and bird feed, oil, wood, and meat are shipped to Iran.

Caption: "Astrakhan Port."

Interviewer: "We have arrived at the Russian Solyanka Port in Astrakhan. This is an Iranian port with an Iranian management."

Narrator: "We talked to Mr. Daryoush Jamali, the director of the Iranian Solyanka Port in Astrakhan, Russia."

Interviewer: "Can you give us a short explanation about this port? It was very interesting for us to see the Iranian flag in Russia."

Daryoush Jamali: "Yes. The Astrakhanskii Port company – or the Solyanka Port – is the actual embodiment of the cooperation between Iran and Russia. This port belongs both to Iran and to Russia. 53% of the shares belong to the Islamic Republic of Iran, 25% belong to the Russian government and the rest belong to a public company and, in fact, to the Russian public."

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Interviewer: "How many years has the company been this way?"

Jamali: "Since 2011."

Interviewer: "That means the port has been under Iranian management for 13 years."

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Narrator: "This important port has 750-meter-long dock. Five ships can dock here simultaneously in order to load or unload their cargo. The Solyanka Port has a loading and unloading capacity of 40,000 tons a month, and this figure is meant to rise to 60,000 tons.

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"The Solyanka Port is one of 15 active ports in the Astrakhan Special Economic Zone. It is the most active port in Astrakhan in terms of cargo transportation. This Iranian port is even considered the highest-traffic port of all the Russian ports on the Caspian Sea, and it plays an important role in the maritime route if the North-South Transport Corridor. From the Solyanka Port, Russian grain, animal and bird feed, oil, wood, and red meat are shipped to Iran. In the reverse route, from Iran, the ships carry to Russia fruit, dried fruit, floor tiles and ceramics, building materials, cement, and Iranian fabrics."