Russian and Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet
militiasto extend the regime's influence. The word
Iranis a cognate form of
Aryan.The abbreviation
IRGCis the same idea as
Stürmabteilung (or SA).The term
Supreme Guideis a the modern version form of either
Duceor
Führeror maybe both. They hate
signed an agreement Wednesday to finance and build a railway line that will form part of a developing international cargo route they hope can become a major player in global shipping.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, participated via video link in the signing ceremony for the Rasht-Astara railway, inked by Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash and Russia’s Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev.
The 162-kilometer (100-mile) route will run along the Caspian Sea coast and through Azerbaijan. It will be a key part of the International North-South Transport Corridor, a 7,200-kilometer (4,473-mile) combined road, rail and sea route aimed at moving goods from Russia via Central Asia to India, slashing shipping costs and times.
"The unique North-South transport artery, of which the Rasht-Astara railway will become a part, will help to significantly diversify global traffic flows," Putin said, according to a Rooters report.
"Without a doubt, this agreement is an important and strategic step in the direction of cooperation between Tehran and Moscow," Raisi said.
Russia has in the past touted the trade route as being a rival to the Suez Canal, an artificial waterway connecting the Mediterranean and Red seas that cuts thousands of kilometers from the sailing route between Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
and Asia that would otherwise go around the African continent.
Under the terms of the agreement, Russian will spend 1.6 billion euros on the construction of the railway, whose completion is planned within 48 months, the Trend outlet reported, citing the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development. Iran’s side of the project will cost about 4.6 billion euros and it is looking for foreign investors to help cover the expense.
The ministry said there will nine stations on the line.
Russia, Iran, and India initially signed on the North-South route in the early 2000s and since then a number of other countries have ratified the project including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkiye, and Ukraine.
Russia and its close ally Iran have upped their cooperation as they both struggle under economic sanctions from Western countries.