Overview

The transportation logistics infrastructure in Iran is well developed and organized, covering the four main shipment options – road, rail, air, and sea. 

Road Infrastructure

Iran has long paved road system linking most of its towns and all of its cities. In 2016 the country had 221,000 km (137,323) of roads, of which 73% were paved. According to global statistics of 2020, there are 218 private vehicles per 1000 population in the county.  

Railway 

Trains operate on 14,078 km (8,747 mi) of railroad track. The country’s major port of entry is Bandar-Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz. After arriving in Iran, imported cargos are distributed throughout the country by trucks and freight trains. The Tehran-Bandar-Abbas railroad, opened in 1995, connects Bandar-Abbas to the railroad system of Central Asia via Tehran and Mashhad. Other major ports include Bandar e-Anzali and Bandar e-Torkeman on the Caspian Sea and Khorramshahr and Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni on the Persian Gulf. Chabahar-Zahedan railway is the most important under construction railway project of Iran which on the first phase will connect Chabahar port to Zahedan city and then to Milak border with Afghanistan and on the second phase will connect Zahedan city to Sarakhs border with Turkmenistan.

Aviation  

Iran has several private and public airline companies in operation. The oldest is the Iranian Airways Company, founded in 1944 (known as Iran Air since 1961). As of June 2009, Iranian planes fly 45 international flight routes. Most of the fleet of Iranian airlines today consist of old airplanes, due to the international sanctions that prevents Iran from purchasing new aircraft to update its fleet.

As of 2013, Iran had 319 airports which made Iran the 22nd country in the world with most airports. Almost all the main cities in Iran have airports and more than 20 of the airports have international flights. Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran has the most international flights and is the Iran’s biggest airport.

Ports

Iran on the north is connected to Caspian Sea which through the 3 main ports connects the country to Russia on the north, the Republic of Azerbaijan to the west, and Turkmenistan to the east. The majority of Iran imports and exports are handling through eight important ports on the south that connects Iran to open oceans. The Port of Shahid Rajaie in Bandar Abbas City is the most important port in Iran but is currently under international sanctions and there is no direct international shipping line to this port. Chabahar Port on the south east of Iran is another important port of Iran that recently Iran has made several investments to improve the port infrastructure and make it one of the transit hubs for the neighbouring countries.