India, Iran Ink Deal to Further Develop Chabahar Port

Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash said on the sidelines of the signing ceremony that an Iran-India joint shipping company would be launched soon.

During the ceremony a contract for equipping and operating a container terminal and general cargo barges at Chabahar port was inked with an Indian company.

"We have regular planning in the development of rail, road and sea infrastructure and the growth of transit in different sectors in Iran continues," Bazrpash said. 

“There is a direct line of container shipping between Iran, India and China. Since the start of this year (which began on March 21, 2024) the transportation of goods on this route has increased," he added.

"The Iran-India joint shipping company will be launched soon,” Bazrpash noted, adding that Chabahar port plays a strategic role in the eastern branch of our north-south corridor, and after the completion of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway section by the end of the year, this port will play a greater role in the country's transit development plan. 

He added that the value of contract between Iran and India in Chabahar has increased to $370 million.

India has been developing the port in Chabahar on Iran's Southeastern coast along the Gulf of Oman as a way to transport goods to Iran, Afghanistan and central Asian countries, bypassing the port of Karachi and Gwadar in its rival Pakistan.

"Chabahar Port's significance transcends its role as a mere conduit between India and Iran; it serves as a vital trade artery connecting India with Afghanistan and Central Asian Countries," India's Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said in Tehran, after the signing of the agreement.

"This linkage has unlocked new avenues for trade and fortified supply chain resilience across the region."

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