Statsguru: Several challenges remain for India-Iran Chabahar port deal

Iran has fewer maritime trade partners compared to India

Several challenges remain for the India-Iran Chabahar port deal which was inked last week. The 10-year deal, which focuses on the development of the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port, is strategically important for India because it provides an alternative trade route to Afghanistan, Russia, and Central Asian countries by completely by-passing the land route through Pakistan. The port is not yet very well integrated with global shipping lines. UN data on port connectivity, measured by the port liner shipping connectivity index, shows that the connectivity for the Chabahar port lags behind some of West India’s busiest ports and its