DUBAI, October 21. /TASS/. Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, accused the West and its allies of spreading rumors about Russian-Iranian cooperation and attempting to undermine relations between the two countries through an information and psychological warfare campaign.

"The West and its supporters fail to acknowledge the balanced nature of relations between Russia and Iran. That’s why they issue daily condemnatory statements, spread rumors, and distort facts about Ukraine," IRNA quoted Ambassador Kazem Jalali as saying. "The West's approach to Iran-Russia relations focuses on false narratives. Every day, we witness an information and psychological war being waged against the ties between our two countries," he added.

This is how the ambassador reacted to the rumors about the alleged suspension of the Russian side's participation in the implementation of the 162-km-long Rasht-Astara railway project. Jalali called this information false and added that the Russian authorities attach great importance to the project.

On May 17, 2023, Russia and Iran signed an agreement for the joint construction of the Rasht-Astara railway section. This route will link the land areas of the North-South international transportation corridor, enhancing the economic efficiency of the trans-Caspian route.

Moscow is providing Tehran with an interstate loan of €1.3 billion for the project, while the total construction cost is estimated at €1.6 billion. Russian authorities anticipate that the North-South corridor could serve as an alternative to the Suez Canal, significantly reducing cargo delivery times. Tehran expects construction of the railway section to begin in 2025 and take three years to complete.