Tehran (IP)- Iran's First Vice President called the development of domestic transit infrastructures to connect to international corridors a strategic approach and said that upgrading the country's transit position is necessary for the development as well as an increase in the deterrent power of the country.

Iran PressIran news: Speaking in a meeting to review the strategic need to develop rail and road connections of the Islamic Republic of Iran with neighboring countries, which was chaired by the First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri on Monday, he referred to some plans and policies of Iran's ill-wishers to weaken two of the country's most important capitals, i.e. energy and transit position at the international level, stressing the need to strive to protect transit position as one of the capitals of the country.

Referring to the exceptional geographical location of Iran and the country's key role in global transit, Jahangiri added: "The country's development plans, especially the Seventh Development Plan, should be formulated in such a way as to improve Iran's transit position; hence, upgrading the country's transit position is necessary for the progress and development of Iran as well as an increase in the country's deterrent power, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Roads and Urban Development, Mining and Trade, and the Planning and Budget Organization have a key role to play in this regard."

Jahangiri stressed: "Our strategic vision in the trade and transportation sector should be the development of domestic transit infrastructures to connect to the north-south and east-west international transport corridors so that Iran's ill-wishers cannot weaken our country's transit position and remove Iran from the axis of international transit."

Jahangiri also highlighted that in addition to long-term planning and strategies, short-term measures should be taken to strengthen Iran's transit position, adding: "Some projects such as accelerating the operation of the Khaf-Herat railway and Basra-Shalamcheh and Kermanshah-Islamabad routes should be on the agenda in particular, and the Planning and Budget Organization should change the issue of transit into one of the main axes of the Seventh Development Plan, while the development plan of Iran's transit position should become a national and lasting document which must be enforced for all governments."

Emphasizing that one of the most important priorities this year is the development of non-oil exports, the First Vice President called on all relevant executive bodies to cooperate and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade to achieve this year's target which is non-oil exports.

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