Iran and Russia are close to signing an agreement on natural gas trade. The main parameters of the future deal have already been agreed upon, and the parties intend to finalize the wording of the agreements in the near future, Iranian oil minister Mohsen Paknejad said, Shana news agency reports.

This statement was made during a meeting between the aforesaid Iranian minister and Russian energy minister Sergey Tsivilev. The talks were held within the framework of discussions on the further development of energy cooperation between the two countries.

The parties reviewed the course of implementation of agreements reached at the 19th meeting of the Russian-Iranian intergovernmental commission held in February. Among the key topics were investments by Russian companies in Iran's oil and natural gas sector, as well as the removal of obstacles hindering the expansion of bilateral cooperation.

Earlier, Sergey Tsivilev informed that Russia and Iran plan to start implementing the Rasht-Astara railway project, which is an important section of the International North-South Transport Corridor. According to him, the parties managed to resolve the main differences related to the launch of this project, as well as complete the preparation of the necessary documents.

But later, Iranian ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali announced that the start of this railway construction had been put off. According to him, the project is planned to be resumed by the end of 2026. The Iranian diplomat noted that the complex geopolitical situation and the imposed restrictions may affect the pace of cooperation and increase the costs of trade and economic relations between the two countries.