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Iran's strategic port offer to help India bypass Pakistan

Devil Soul

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Iran's strategic port offer to help India bypass Pakistan
By Reuters
Published: July 18, 2015

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has asked India to invest in infrastructure projects worth $8 billion, including an expanded role in developing a strategic port that will open up access to Central Asia, Iran’s envoy to New Delhi said on Friday.

The port of Chabahar in southeast Iran is central to India’s efforts to circumvent arch-rival Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests.

Rouhani suggested the larger role for India during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a summit in Russia days before the historic nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Iran’s ambassador to India told Reuters.

“The potential between Iran and India is great but we were just facing such a wall of sanctions, wall of American pressure,” ambassador Gholamreza Ansari said.

Ansari said that with sanctions likely to be lifted soon, it was a “golden time” for India to seize investment opportunities because of the two countries’ close trade ties and shared interest in improving Central Asian transport links.

“Connectivity is the main policy of Modi that coincides with Iran’s government policy,” Ansari said. “We have offered them, in connectivy, $8 billion of projects.”

Modi’s meeting with Rouhani was part of a tour of Central Asia focused on increasing India’s role in the region.

It was not immediately clear how Modi responded to Rouhani’s offer.

India’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Iran and six world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, clearing the way for an easing of sanctions on Tehran.


India and Iran agreed in 2003 to develop Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, near Iran’s border with Pakistan, but the venture has moved slowly because of the sanctions over Iran’s atomic programme.

The two countries maintained a close relationship despite the US-led trade restrictions that halved their oil trade to 220,000 barrels per day last year.

In May, India’s Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi, signed an $85 million deal for India to lease two existing berths at the port and use them as multi-purpose cargo terminals.

Under the new proposal India could help build second and third terminals at the port, as well as railway connections into the rest of Iran, Ansari said.

India has moved slowly on opportunities in Iran in the past, including the giant Farzad B gas field. Ansari said India was the “first priority” to develop Farzad B, but urged New Delhi to move fast: “If they drag their feet, the market will not wait.”
 
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Not sure how they gonna reach each other with Pakistan in the middle :unsure:
 
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Good going! Go around round round :woot:
Its really a straight route from Mumbai
North_South_Transport_Corridor_%28NSTC%29.jpg


This is from Bandar Abbas. Chabbhar is straighter.
 
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Well, i was pretty neutral about this till now, but current scenario shows iran's alignment towards india... which is worrisome...
 
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Well, i was pretty neutral about this till now, but current scenario shows iran's alignment towards india... which is worrisome...

Just words. Not to worry relax. We have what the Isreali's call "facts on the ground" that is physical geography. I can only think of two instances of that having been altered. Suez and Panama.

Its all about cost. By air, by sea the bottom line is cost and time. Imagine you live in New Delhi,India. Say you have a friend in Kabul,Afghanistan who want's to try one of your hand made "veg samosa". Let's follow the journey of our "samosa" along the alternative route.

1. New Delhi to Mumbai - Truck 700 miles
2. Mumbai to Chah Bahar - Ship 900 miles
3. Chah Bahar to Kabul - Truck 1,000 miles

That is 1,700 miles by road and another 900 by ship. By the time by your friend in Kabul get's his veg samosa it will be almost week later and will have travelled 2,600 miles. Think also of how many times loading and unloading happened between land-sea-land?

or direct through Pakistan.

1. New Delhi to Islamabad to Kabul. - Truck 650 miles.

Potentially 12 hours later the still warm veg samosa could be in your friends hands in Kabul.

*All distances measured with Google Earth and follow main road networks. Allow error factor 5%. Advice everybody go to Google Earth and see for yourself. Geography can be a b*tch sometimes.

** All the route from Pakistan border (Lahore/Wagah) to Afghan border (Peshawar/Khyber Pass) pass through Pakistan via world standard M1 and M2 Motorways which would take @55mph constant just about 5 hours from border to border. So Afghanistan border is just 5 hours away from India by truck. You think any Chah, Bah or Zah is going to match that?

Afghan border > Peshawar > Islamabad > Lahore > Indian border Motorway maps ( M1 and M2 )

182523d1294063122-current-fog-report-motorways-m1-m2-motorway.jpg


329987-Lahoreringroad-1328045384-496-640x480.gif


3_Lahore-Islamabad-Motorway_M-2.jpg



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So pay few Rupees at M2 Lahore Toll Plaza arriving from Indian border.

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Pay few more Rupees at Islamabad M1 Toll plaza

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and you arrive at Peshawar on the border of Afghanistan from India in less than 5 hours.

peshawar-motorway-toll-plaza2.jpg
 
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Beyond there lies "sunny Afghanistan" and Central Asia.

2_Islamabad-Peshawar-Motorway_M-1.jpg


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So yes there is always way around obstacles but it boils down to cost and time. In Pakistan not do we only have the geography but also world class road infrstructure linking the India/Pak/Afghan route.

Now we have to finish off the north south link between China and the Arabian sea. Work is in progess and in a few years we shall be able to also post the pictures of the full link. China Pakistan economic corridor ( CPEC )will fit nicely into this.

So yes we wish Chah Bahar the best. It of course has it 's uses but these compliment Pakistan and DO NOT poise a challange. I see benefits of syngergy here between Iran and Pakistan. So relax people.

WE in Pakistan need to focus and finish off the north south link. We have already completed about 25% so more needs to be done but work is in progress.

our-extensive-research-on-the-subject-of-pak-china-economic-corridor-as-of-may-2015-29-638.jpg


The section to Multan M3 is complete and now work on M4 is on. One thing with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is he has got a thing with roads so I expect this link from China to the Arabian sea will also be completed.


m4-map.jpg


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Work on M4 to Multan in progress.

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1424498d1401611864-motorway-m4-update-img_8946.jpg


So don't forget to factor in the "veg samosa" okay?
 
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Did somebody tell the above gentleman another 'fact on the ground' - Indian trucks cannot go to Afghanistan from Islamabad. And even then we can't trust them jihadi pigs to not blow themselves against these trucks. Delusional LOSER.
 
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