Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan have held trilateral talks aimed at expanding cooperation in transit and road freight transportation as the three countries seek to strengthen regional connectivity and boost trade.

According to Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, officials from the three countries met in the northeastern city of Mashhad, the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province, on July 14 and 15.

The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in cross-border road freight transport, activating regional transit corridors, increasing trade exchanges and promoting broader economic cooperation.

The ministry said the initiative could facilitate international trade, strengthen regional connectivity and support sustainable economic development across the region.

It added that the meeting marked an important step toward making better use of the three countries’ shared transit potential, strengthening regional partnerships, enhancing the region’s role in international transport corridors and expanding transit infrastructure.

According to an analysis by Trend, the trilateral meeting could pave the way for the development of new logistics routes linking the three countries. The report said the initiative aligns with Iran’s broader strategy of strengthening connectivity with Central Asia and maximizing its role as a regional transit hub.

In recent years, Iran has expanded investment in key transport projects, including the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Chabahar Port, eastern border crossings and railway infrastructure. Increased freight cooperation with Afghanistan and Tajikistan is expected to improve access to Central Asian markets while contributing to higher regional trade and transit revenues.

Kazakhstan has reached agreements to import metallurgical raw materials from Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan as part of efforts to ensure a stable supply for the country’s metals industry, Kazakh Minister of Industry and Construction Yersaiyn Nagaspayev announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at a government meeting, Nagaspayev said the new import agreements are intended to strengthen raw material supplies to Kazakhstan’s metallurgical plants after production in the sector slowed during the first half of 2026.

According to the minister, metallurgical output reached 97.3 percent of planned levels in the first six months of the year. He attributed the slowdown to scheduled maintenance at industrial facilities and the gradual depletion of Kazakhstan’s domestic mineral resource base.

Despite those challenges, Nagaspayev said the sector’s performance improved by 1.8 percent compared with the first five months of the year, largely due to measures aimed at securing reliable supplies of raw materials.

He said domestic producers have increased deliveries of copper, zinc and gold-bearing ores to processing plants, while shipments of zinc concentrate have resumed. In addition, Kazakhstan has finalized agreements to import raw materials from Afghanistan and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan to support the country’s metallurgical industry.

The move highlights Afghanistan’s growing role as a regional supplier of mineral resources. The country is believed to possess significant untapped deposits of copper, iron ore, lithium and a range of other strategic minerals, attracting increasing interest from neighbouring countries seeking to diversify supply chains and strengthen regional trade.

The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) has announced that trade agreements worth AFN 446 million were signed between Afghan traders and investors and business delegations from Russia’s Republic of Dagestan, Tyumen Region, and Kazakhstan during a joint business-to-business (B2B) meeting.

According to a statement issued by the ACCI, the agreements cover the sectors of construction materials, pharmaceuticals, food and essential commodities (including cooking oil, tea, and grains), and agricultural services.

The meeting began with discussions between Afghan, Russian, and Kazakh traders and investors, during which the participants exchanged views on trade opportunities, market needs, and areas of potential cooperation.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the Tyumen Chamber of Commerce thanked the leadership and staff of ACCI for their warm hospitality and described the visit as highly successful. He invited Afghan businesspeople to visit Russia and pledged to facilitate meetings between them and Russian traders.

He said the meetings would help expand not only Russian exports to Afghanistan but also Afghan exports to Russia. He added that the gathering could be remembered in the future as the beginning of a major historic trade partnership.

A joint trade delegation from Russia’s Republic of Dagestan, the Tyumen Region, and Kazakhstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday for talks aimed at expanding economic and commercial cooperation.