TEHRAN- The railroad which is to connect Zahedan, the capital city of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, to Chabahar, a strategic port city in the province, will be completed by the end of the next Iranian calendar year (March 2021), the governor general of Sistan-Baluchestan announced on Saturday.

Ahmad-Ali Mouhebati further said that Zahedan-Chabahar railway is currently under construction in eight parts, IRNA reported.

Connecting the ports to the railway network is an issue seriously emphasized and followed up by Iran over the recent years, as the country is strongly pursuing the objective of boosting exports and transit via its ports.

Chabahar Port in southeast Iran is the most prioritized one for railway connection as the port’s exemption from the new round of the U.S. sanctions on the country is an opportunity for development of export, transit, and also transshipment.

Lying on the coast of the Gulf of Oman in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Chabahar is the country’s only oceanic port and given its strategic location in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) development of the port is of high significance for Iran.

MA/MA