India is developing a strategic Iranian port which will be inaugurated today. India plans to invest $ 500 million in the Chabahar Port. The port will bypass Pakistan to open up a new trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj landed in Tehran on Saturday to met her Iranian counterpart to discuss the port project.
The Chabahar Port is located in the Southeastern province of Sistan Balochistan on the Southern Coast of Iran. The Iranian President Hassa Rouhani will inaugurate the port. Representatives from India, Afghanistan and a few other countries will attend the inauguration.
To mark the opening of the transit route, India sent wheat to Afghanistan via the Chabahar Port in October.
After discussions with Sushma Swaraj, Iran Foreign Minister Javed Zarif said, “It also shows the importance of the port in the development of the region and the routes that connect Central Asian states to other countries in the world through the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean.”
The port aims at strengthening trade between India, Afghanistan and Iran. India began the port project after the sanctions imposed on Iran were lifted. Pakistan believes India is using Afghanistan to destabilize their country.
