India On Edge? Iran, Pakistan Revive Chabahar-To-Turkey Rail Link, Deepen Strategic Ties And Trade Corridors | World News
New Delhi: Iran and Pakistan have officialized a renewed partnership that opened new transportation routes and expanded the trade connections in the region. During his first official visit to Pakistan, Iranian President Masoud Pezshkian signed a series of bilateral agreements aimed at increasing economic, technical and strategic cooperation between the two neighbors.
Authorities from both countries confirmed that Pakistani goods will have access to European and Russian markets through Iranian territory. Analysts see this movement as a potential game exchanger for regional logistics. They say it will offer an alternative to traditional maritime transport routes, which may be slower and more expensive.
This land trade connection is expected to be integrated with the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC), a multi-mode trade network that began at the port of Mumbai in India and passes through Iran to reach Russia and Europe.
India and Russia are actively developing this corridor and the inclusion of Pakistan asks questions about new dynamics in the region.
Iran-Pakistan alignment also addresses the wider ambitions of Beijing. China is investigating ways to connect Chinese goods to passing from Iran and reach the Gulf and Central Asia, the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) and the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC). It will reduce dependence on the Strait of Malacca.
With a strong maritime presence from both India and the United States in this region, Beijing is looking for strategic alternatives to protect trade routes.
As part of the new partnership, Iran and Pakistan set a target to raise bilateral trade from USD $ 3 billion to USD 10 billion. Both sides have filed this goal as a step towards strengthened economic cooperation and long -term regional integration.
President Pesshkian made an unusual welcome in Islamabad, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally received him in Nur Khan Airbase. The movement was seen by many as a sign of how seriously Pakistan has taken its relationship with Tehran.
The visit comes at a time when Islamabad gets more closely aimed at Iran and balances the vineyards with the US.
Pakistani officials, some of the alleged border of Islamabad from abroad, the Baloch separatist groups are reported to bring up the issue.
The most important feature of the visit was the revival of the Islamabad-Tehran-Eshanbul Railway project. Both countries agreed to restore and functionalize the 6,540 -kilometer railway line that connects South Asia to Europe through Türkiye.
After full operations, the journey will take about 10 days, which will be a major improvement on the 21 -day sea road. The division of the railway is spreading 1,990 kilometers in Pakistan, 2,603 kilometers in Iran and 1,950 kilometers in Türkiye. Although the project was initially started in 2009, it was encountered with repeated delays. Authorities now hopes to revive the corridor to full capacity.
Developments for India have serious strategic consequences. Iran and Pakistan discussed the association of Iran Chabahar Port, which Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, which was operated by China, helps to build India.
Iranian leaders stated that they were interested in combining both ports through trade and logistics ways. This proposed maritime connection can dilute India’s strategic impact in the region and provide more access to the Gulf waters to China.
Gwadar has already become a focus of Chinese infrastructure investment, and reports show that a future Chinese sea facility may be in work. If Chabahar and Gwadar are connected, he can reshape the geopolitical balance of the port infrastructure in the Arab Sea and create new strategic concerns for the new Delhi.
The series of agreements signed during the visit of President Pesshkian points to a turning point in Iran-Pakistan relations. As the regional landscape continues to develop, the effects of these developments are likely to echo far beyond South Asia.
