Tajikistan Turns to Iran for Oil Amid Diversification Efforts
Tajikistan has started receiving crude oil and petroleum products from Iran, according to Interfax. The initial shipments were reported by the country's Ministry of Energy and Water Resources on September 24. No details have been disclosed about the volume or commercial terms of these deliveries.
In August, Tajikistan agreed to import 2.55 million tonnes of crude oil and petroleum products annually from Iran. This includes 2 million tonnes of crude oil, 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, 150,000 tonnes of gasoline, and 100,000 tonnes of aviation fuel.
The proposed volumes would require around 51,000 railway tank cars, prompting Tajikistan to propose organising specialised trains and establishing a 'green corridor' for fuel transit through Iran. This move aims to diversify the country's sources of imported petroleum products, as it currently relies heavily on Russia.