GEOPOLITICS OF CHABAHAR PORT FOR IRAN, INDIA AND AFGHANISTAN

In January 2016, Iran, India and Afghanistan signed a trilateral economic agreement on developing the Chabahar Port in south-eastern Iran. This project holds immense economic and geopolitical value for both Iran and India. Chabahar, as Iran's first deep water port, connects it to oceanic trade routes. This helps Iran to mitigate US sanctions and sustain trade relations with neighbours and independent states such as India. For India, Chabahar is the key point of the 'International North-South Transport Corridor', an ambitious project connecting India to Central Asia and Europe. The article analyses the geostrategic, economic and trade-related importance of Chabahar port from both Iranian and Indian perspectives. This Iranian-Indian trade co-operation is considered a strategic alternative, if not a rival, to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), whose key point is the Gwadar port in Pakistan, next door to Chabahar.

Automated summary

The trilateral economic agreement signed by Iran, India, and Afghanistan for the development of the Chabahar Port in January 2016 holds immense economic and geopolitical value for both countries. This project helps Iran mitigate US sanctions and sustain trade relations with its neighbors and independent states like India, while also serving as a key point connecting India to Central Asia and Europe. The cooperation between Iran and India in the Chabahar port is seen as a strategic alternative, if not a rival, to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).