TehranDespite the delays that have occurred in their cooperation in the strategic port of Chabahar since 2003, last Monday, India and Iran signed an agreement to “equip and operate container and general cargo terminals” at the Shahid Beheshti Port in the port of Chabahar, southeastern Iran, to replace the 2016 agreement that was hindered by the return of US sanctions on Tehran in 2018.
Meanwhile, Washington warned Indian companies of the risk of sanctions being imposed on them if they invest in Iran, stressing that “every entity involved in commercial deals with Iran must be aware of the potential risks to which it exposes itself and the potential risks of sanctions.”
On the other hand, Indian Foreign Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar said that his country will work to clarify the benefits of the agreement to develop the Iranian port of Chabahar, adding that “if you look at the position of the United States towards Chabahar in the past, it appreciated that Chabahar has greater importance.”
What is the importance of the Iranian port of Chabahar?
The port of Chabahar is considered the largest of its kind in Iran and the only one among its counterparts as it is located on the waters of the Indian Ocean. It is becoming increasingly important as it is part of the international corridor between North and South and constitutes a gateway for the countries of East Asia via Iran towards Central Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe.
Iranian researcher in the affairs of the Indian subcontinent, Farzad Poonsh, believes that the port of Chabahar enables the Iranian side to access international waters and the Indian Ocean, in addition to forming a link between the Indian and Russian markets, adding that Tehran is looking forward to operating the port to raise its regional and international weight and transform into a state. Strategic corridors.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Ponch continued that in terms of international competition over trade lanes, the Russian war on Ukraine and the recent developments in the Red Sea have increased the importance of the Chabahar port for transporting goods from East Asia towards the Caucasus region, in addition to Russia’s need to transport its goods to India via Iran.
Following the signing of the agreement, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazarbash said that his country had proposed to the Indian authorities to launch a “joint shipping company” between the two countries in order to develop transit traffic in the region, adding that the city of Chabahar could serve as a focal point in developing the transit process in the region. Region.
How does New Delhi view Chabahar Port?
The recent Iranian-Indian agreement to develop and operate the Chabahar port would not have come to light had it not been for the visit made by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Pakistan last month following the decline in relations between Tehran and New Delhi, according to Poonch.
The same spokesman sees strengthening his country’s relations with both China and Pakistan as a factor urging New Delhi to move the stagnant waters in the file of cooperation in the port of Chabahar, noting that India is considered a major competitor to both its eastern and western neighbors, especially since Beijing has a strong economic relationship with Islamabad to develop… Gwadar Port, Pakistan.
He considered that the port of Chabahar represents the gateway to the international transport corridor between the north and the south to the waters of the Indian Ocean, and it also constitutes an entrance that connects the Indian side to Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
He concluded that New Delhi views the port of Chabahar from the perspective of geopolitics and its geoeconomic interests, stressing that India wants to link the corridor connecting its territorial waters and the port of Chabahar with the north-south corridor to reach the Afghan, Russian, Caucasus, and Eurasian markets, as well as reduce the period of delivery of its goods to Eastern Europe via Iranian territory. .
What does the Iranian-Indian agreement to develop Chabahar port mean for the state of regional competition?
Academician at Tarbat University, teacher and researcher in geostrategic issues, Farzad Ahmadi, points out that the Indian desire to participate in the construction of the Chabahar port dates back to the past decades, but recent regional and international developments have motivated New Delhi to play this card in the context of the ongoing competition with political forces in the region on the one hand, On the international corridors, on the other hand.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Ahmadi classified both the Chinese and Pakistani regimes as “arch rivals” to the Indian side, explaining that New Delhi – which plans to surpass emerging global economies to become the third largest economy in the world during the next decade – is working from the gateway to the Chabahar port to compete with the Pakistani port of Gwadar, which China found in it a gateway to Central Asia along with the Belt and Road Initiative to enhance its position in global trade.
Ahmadi saw that New Delhi had previously joined last year the economic corridor linking India and Europe through the Middle East to compete with the Chinese corridors, most notably the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to revive the ancient Silk Road.
He added that if New Delhi seeks to compete with its rival China on the international level through the economic corridor from India to Europe, then the new maritime transport corridor connecting its territorial waters and the port of Chabahar seeks, by linking it to the international transport corridor between the North and South, to compete with Beijing and Islamabad on the regional level.
When referring to the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the resulting tension in the Red Sea, the Iranian academic confirms that developments in the Middle East over the past seven months have led to a decline in the desire of the Gulf countries to normalize relations with the Israeli entity, which prompted the Indian side to consider an alternative option for the corridor. The economist who relied on him for the arrival of Indian goods to European markets.
Ahmadi concluded that the Islamic Republic sees cooperation with the Indian side as a valuable opportunity to operate the port and obstruct the trade corridor between India and Europe through the Middle East, stressing that New Delhi sees the Chabahar port as a paved road to realize its dream of delivering its goods to Europe.
Why does Washington oppose the agreement and the Indian side’s involvement in operating the Chabahar port?
At the beginning of his response to this question, Iranian academic Farad Ahmadi recalls the ongoing hostility between Tehran and Washington for 45 years and the increasing American sanctions on Tehran, considering foreign investment in Iranian projects as nullifying the effectiveness of those sanctions and opening the door wide for other parties to challenge the American will and cooperate with the Republic. Islamic.
What are the chances of success of the agreement and its repercussions on the development and operation of Chabahar Port?
Economic researcher Ali Mohammadi classifies the US sanctions as a fundamental obstacle that would hinder the implementation of the agreement between India and Iran to develop the port of Chabahar, noting that India is not the only one participating in building and equipping it. Rather, the Chinese side had preceded it in concluding an agreement with the Iranian side, with the difference that China She does not see herself as concerned with the American embargo.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the economic researcher explains that the amount of the recent agreement between Tehran and New Delhi is neither large nor sufficient to constitute a qualitative leap in the development of the port, adding that “although the Indian investment is considered the largest among internal and external investments, Tehran is continuing to operate the port, whether with the participation of New Delhi or “Without it.”
Mohammadi added that the economic feasibility and power balancing factor of strengthening relations with friendly countries and competing with regional countries that New Delhi classifies as adversaries justify the Indian side investing in the strategic port of Chabahar.
The same spokesman added that the Indian side will make great efforts to obtain exemptions from US sanctions, similar to the exemptions that New Delhi previously obtained to benefit from the port in recent years.
The Iranian researcher considered the chances of the success of the Iranian-Indian agreement and its implementation in light of the American opposition to be “relative,” adding that the importance of the agreement and its repercussions on the development and operation of the Chabahar port cannot be underestimated due to the lack of options presented to Iran to attract foreign investments.
He concluded by saying that outweighing the benefits of the Indian side as a result of investment in the port of Chabahar compared to the damage that may be caused to it due to its defiance of US sanctions, may push the Indians towards not submitting to Washington’s dictates and placing it in front of a fait accompli on the eve of its 2024 presidential elections.
