TEHRAN – India’s Ambassador to Tehran Rudra Gaurav Shresth has said Iran’s southeastern Chabahar Port is a golden opportunity for India to expand its economic ties, IRNA reported.

“Chabahar's position in the expansion of trade exchanges in West Asia, Eurasia, and even Europe is unique,” Shresth said on Friday during a visit to the port.

“This trip is planned with the purpose of visiting the port’s infrastructure to implement our investment commitments,” the ambassador told the press.

The official called on the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to take the necessary measures for using the capacities of the Chabahar port.

“The North-South International Transport Corridor can serve as a safe and efficient route for landlocked countries in Central Asia to access the Indian Ocean, and we all must strive to realize the corridor’s full potential,” the official added.

During the trip to Chabahar Port, Shresth visited Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari ports, Chabahar’s Marine Traffic Control Tower, Shahid Kalantari Port Passenger Terminal, as well as the basin and access channel to Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari ports.

As Iran's only oceanic port on the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar Port holds great significance for the country both politically and economically. The country has taken serious measures for developing this port in order to improve the country’s maritime trade.

The port consists of Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti terminals, each of which has five berth facilities. The port is located in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province and is about 120 kilometers southwest of Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province, where the China-funded Gwadar port is situated.

In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement for the strategically-located Chabahar port to give New Delhi access to Kabul and Central Asia.

Later, based on a separate deal with Iran, India agreed to install and operate modern loading and unloading equipment including mobile harbor cranes in Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar.

Under the framework of the mentioned agreement, the Indian side has been operating in Shahid Beheshti port in the form of a build–operate–transfer (BOT) contract; this is the first time that such a contract has been implemented in one of the country's ports with 100 percent foreign investment.

The first consignment of Indian equipment for the development of port activities at Chabahar port worth $8.5 million arrived in the southeastern port in January 2021.

EF/MA