The Indian Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, will travel to Iran on Monday to sign the agreement. This marks the first time India will take over the management of a foreign port. The new agreement will be valid for 10 years and will be automatically renewed.
This decision is viewed as a significant geopolitical move to strengthen cooperation with Iran and is expected to have serious regional implications. The port, serving as a critical link for India to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the larger Eurasian region, could potentially compete with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, as well as China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.
Future plans include linking Chabahar with the North-South International Transport Corridor, which will connect India to Russia through Iran. This trade route is designed to transport goods from India and the Persian Gulf states to Western and Northern Europe via the territories of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia, including through the railway connections of these three countries. The main advantage of the corridor is the potential to cut the delivery times of goods by two to three times.
Chabahar Port is located in southeastern Iran. India and Iran agreed on the joint development of the port in 2003, but the project was initially postponed due to international sanctions against Iran.
