Chabahar Port

·       Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located on the Makran coast of Sistan and Baluchistan Province, next to the Gulf of Oman and at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz.

·       It is the only Iranian port with direct access to the Indian Ocean and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths.

·       It close to Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and others, so it has been termed the "Golden Gate" to these landlocked countries.

·       Development of the port was first proposed in 1973 by the last Shah of Iran.

India’s participation

·       India and Iran first agreed to plans to further develop Shahid Beheshti port in 2003, but did not do so on account of sanctions against Iran.

·       In May 2016, India and Iran signed a bilateral agreement in which India would refurbish one of the berths at Shahid Beheshti port, and reconstruct a 600 meter long container handling facility at the port. The port is partly intended to provide an alternative for trade between India and Afghanistan as it is 800 kilometers closer to the border of Afghanistan than Pakistan's Karachi port.  

·       In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed the trilateral agreement which entailed the establishment of Transit and Transport Corridor among them using Chabahar port in Iran as one of the regional hubs for sea transportation.

·       Construction of a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan as an alternate trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, was also a part of it. But in July 2020 Iran decided to exclude India from this project. Iran decided to proceed with the rail line construction on its own, citing delays from the Indian side in beginning and funding the project.

·       In October 2017, India's first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan was sent through the Chabahar Port.

Importance of Chabahar Port for India

·       The Chabahar Port offers a strategic opportunity for India due to its location on the Makran Coast of the Arabian Sea and beyond the Straits of Hormuz.

·       The Chabahar Port also links India to Afghanistan and energy-rich Central Asia, while physically bypassing Pakistan.

·       It is being considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by the three countries with other Central Asian countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to India.

·       Development of the Chabahar Port would allow Iran to enhance its trade with India and Afghanistan. In addition, Afghanistan would be further benefited by lessening its dependence on Pakistan.

·       A developed Chabahar would also serve as a challenge to China, as it will allow India to counter China’s presence in the Arabian Sea.