Italian firm Anas International Enterprise (AIE) has signed an agreement with the Iranian government to study the completion of the 1,500-kilometre north-south road corridor that extends from the port of Bandar-E-Imam on the Persian Gulf up to the northern border with Azerbaijan through the city of Tabriz.

The study aims to determine a funding proposal for the roadworks and the subsequent long-term concession of the road corridor, according to UK-based publication World Highways.

AIE signed the agreement with Iran’s Construction & Development of Transport Infrastructures Company (CDTIC).

A separate memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also understood to have been signed between AIE and Iran’s Road Maintenance & Transportation Organisation (RMTO) for "technical assistance in the management of road surfaces in addition to services for the operation and management of existing motorways including the 150km Tehran-Qom road”.