New strategic port in Chabahar to improve Iran’s status in the international trade

Tabnak – As the extent of trade relations with the other countries has become an important factor in national powers of every country, establishing new economic routes and corridors has been seriously taken into consideration. Iran’s plan for the development of Chabahar port could be viewed in the same vein.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Iran's southeastern Province, Sistan-Baluchestan on Sunday to inaugurate Phase I of Chabahar port at Oman Sea on Sunday.

Deputy Governor of Sistan-Baluchestan Ayyoub Darvishi told Islamic Repubic News Agency (IRNA) that the president would open the first phase of Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar.

The port will be capable of carrying out all portal operations of container terminals, and its annual 8.5 million tons capacity for loading and unloading ships will be increased to 15 million tons when its dry port is complete, he said.

Darvishi who is also Governor of Chabahar said that the proximity of Chabahar and Konarak to the Indian Ocean will bring Iran the development of the eastern parts of Iran and will revive employment due to the development projects that are under construction.

Meanwhile, Iran's minister of Road and Urban Development says that Chabahar will become a competitive and modern port that can play the role of a gateway to the countries of the region.

'Chabahar Port is promising for the countries neighboring Iran in terms of transportation of goods, and it can prompt development and economic boom in the region,' Abbas Akhoundi said in the opening ceremony of the first phase of Shahid Beheshti Port.

'With the connection to the railway network, the port will play a big role in Iran's development, and it will link Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to the high seas,' he said. One of the plans on Iran's agenda is to connect Chabahar to Pakistan's Gwadar Port, according to the minister.

For his part, Rouhani said that “the Port of Chabahar as the only oceanic port of Iran has to link Sistan-Balouchestan province to Central Asia and Afghanistan.” He added that “we are happy that the first wheat shipment for Afghanistan has been sent to the country's people via Chabahar Port.”

Urging the necessity of supplying Sistan-Balouchestan people with the required water, Rouhani said that water share of Iran's Hirmand Lake has to be supplied by Afghanistan based on the existing agreement between the two countries.

Referring to the ethnic and sectarian diversity in the province, the president said that in fact all the religious sects have their roots in Islam and Quran and all the Iranian ethnics have their roots in their Iranian origin. “We all take pride in being Iranian and Muslim.”

Chabahar, the only oceanic port of Iran, lies at the Gulf of Oman, 645 km to the south of Zahedan, the provincial capital city.