TEHRAN—Visa-free group tours between Iran and Russia have not begun despite a previous announcement saying it would be implemented as of August 1.

The mechanism of visa-free trips in groups between Iran and Russia has not been worked out, with tourists still traveling using visas, Tasnim quoted the vice president of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry as saying on Saturday.

“The test mode has not been worked out yet. Tourists continue traveling using visas,” Dmitry Gorin said.

Earlier, Russia’s Economic Development Ministry said that visa-free group travel between Russia and Iran resumed on August 1, 2023.

A respective agreement, which stipulates that citizens of the two countries may visit the other state without visas for tourist purposes in groups of up to 50 people for no more than 15 days, was concluded on July 1, 2021.

In March 2023, Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said that the agreement on visa-free travel for tourism between Moscow and Tehran will start in 2023, with tour operators who can put tour groups together already agreed.

Late in June, Tehran’s ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali announced that Iran is ready to waive visa requirements reciprocally with Russia, based on an agreement the two countries previously secured for certain tourist groups. The agreement was initially signed by former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2017.

AFM