NEW DELHI: India expects to start full-scale operations at Iran’s Chabahar general cargo port it has built by the end of May, the country’s shipping minister said in a boost for regional trade.
India has been developing a part of the port on Iran’s south-eastern coast along the Gulf of Oman as a way to transport goods to Iran, but also Afghanistan and central Asian countries, and avoiding rival Pakistan.
But US sanctions on Iran slowed down the port’s development and Indian officials are now counting on a thaw in relations between Washington and Tehran under President Joe Biden to move forward with near $500 million of investments.
“I am expecting to visit Iran in April or May for the inauguration of full operations,” Mansukh Mandaviya, India’s ports and shipping minister, said.
India is developing two terminals at the port including the Shahid Beheshti complex and under an agreement signed with the Iran, it would run the terminal for 10 years.
Mandaviya said the port had already commenced operations in a limited way and the growth potential was evident.
Chabahar port had handled 123 vessels and 1.8 million tonnes of bulk and general cargoes from February 2019 to January 2021, he said.
“This is much higher than our expectations. Imagine the scale of operations and freight saving once it is fully operational,” he said.
Last year amid the pandemic, India used the Chabahar port to send 75,000 tonnes of wheat as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and 25 tonnes of the pesticide malathion to Iran to deal with a locust invasion.
The second batch of 25 tonnes has recently reached Chabahar.
As part of the agreement with Iran, India would provide six cranes and other equipment worth $85 million to equip and operationailse the Shahid Beheshti terminal.
So far, India has supplied two of these Mobile Harbour Cranes (MHC) and four others will be delivered over the next few weeks.
“Chabahar Port has emerged as the connecting point for the region to deliver humanitarian assistance during the Covid pandemic,” Mandaviya said.
India also plans to set up an around 600 km railway line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan in Iran close to the Afghan border, at a cost of $1.6 billion to facilitate the movement of goods to Afghanistan.
New Delhi has also proposed inclusion of Chabahar port in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)- connecting Mumbai with Moscow, the minister said, referring to discussions at a virtual summit on Chabahar port on Thursday.
The INSTC project, proposed by India, Russia and Iran in 2000, and later supported by 10 other central Asian countries, envisions a 7,200 km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail and road for freight transport, aiming to cut carriage costs by about 30pc and transit time from 40 days to about 20 days.
INDIA IS A BANANA REPUBLIC,run by a dishwasher’s son,which is being used like a puppet and guinea pig,by the USA.The GOI could not protect their assets in Afghan and Iran – will these weasels stand up to PRC ?
Taliban has doomed Chabahar and will use the Indian Roads to choke Kabul,get supplies and earn valuable toll revenue – via Zaranj,as a 1st point.What has India Built the infra for ? For PRC to evacuate the rare earths and minerals from Afghanistan ? The Afghans are seeking Indian help – but the weasels are still not send their Airforce,let alone send the army !
The Indian weasels did the same with Najibullah – they let him be killed !
On top of that,the PRC aid to Iran has completely destroyed Chabahar – as Indian aid is not required any more! What were the Indian weasels thinking ?
The Indian weasels were played by Iran and the US.1st he Iranians signed the MOU with the Indian weasels – and the US gave the
nod for the 2 berths at Shahid Besheti.The Indian fools thought that the Indian diplonats had conned the US ! Then the Indians were played by the Iranians,to sign the MOU for the Rail link to Zahadan – and again the US appeared to blink.Then again the Indian Duds signed a MOU,for the Chabharf SEZ.
Iranians know that Indians are weasels and lapdogs of the US – who stopped the Oil imports,did not condemn the assasination of
Qasim and the Mossad killings of Iranian N-Scientists in Iran ! They know the worth of the Indians ! Still they signed the MOUs !
Y ?
The Iranians KNEW that the Indian weasels will NOT build the rail line or start the SEZ – due to US sanctions ! WHICH FOOL WILL
START A UNIT IN CHABHAR SEZ,IF THE US IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON THAT CORPORATE – EXCEPT CHAIWALA OF INDIA ?
It was to get a lever to PRC to INVEST in IRAN ! The aim was to get the US + INDIA sanction,for Chabhar,and then use that as a warning bell to PRC,to get them to invest.THE IRANIAN PLAN TO USE THE PRC was ONLY TO KILL CHABHAR,as it was THREAT TO GWADAR,and it was an Indian INT listening post on Gwadar.dindooohindoo
PRC is the natural ally of Iran – and with Bandar Abbas,in the Persian Gulf (and a UAE dispute),access to Iranian Ports for PRC,is
the perfect hedge to Gwadar,and also,to optimise the costs of the North-South and Central Asian Corridors.Iran also needs to sell Oil in Yuan,with banking facilities from PRC – so that several nations in the world – can buy Iranian Oil and settle payments in Yuan and LCs.USD is the Achilles heel of Iran.
Similarly,the Iranians sought equipments from India,for the 2 berths in Chabhar – which Iran cannot import,as they are expensive, and Iran has no USD,and no banker in US/EU will accept Iranian Bank LCs.So they wanted the Indian Duds,to buy the equipments and give the USD loans to Iranians,to buy the equipemnts !
THE BEAUTY IS THAT THE 1O YEAR LEASE OF THE 2 BERTHS IN CHABAHAR TO INDIA,IS COMING TO AN END AND IRAN WILL GET ALL THE INDIAN INVESTMENTS FREE OF COST !
The Iranians knew from Day 1 that Chabhar was doomed ! They used the stupid Indian Diplomats to con the US – albeit in the short term.CHAIWALA thought that he could sleep with Netanyahu,and still cut deals with the Persian Shias – this is the DNA of sons of dishwashers,surrounded by fools and sycophants ! Imagine the Utopian paradise in which the Chaiwala and his mandarin monkeys
reside !
The US could have said NO on Day 1 – but they did NOT !
Y ?
They wanted to show the Indian duds their place ! Just like Blinken came to India – and for the 1st time in decades,a US SOS excoriated the CHAIWALA’s record,on HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH – IN DELHI ! AND THEN HE GENTLY REMINDED THE INDIAN LAPDOGS – TO FALL IN LINE,AS FAR THE ANTI-CHINA COALITION GOES !
NET RESULT – INDIANS ARE DOOMED IN PERSIA,AFGHANISTAN,LANKA ,MYANMAR AND PAKISTAN.THE ONLY NATION LEFT IS BANGLADESH !
JUST LIKE THE INDIANS INVESTED MONEY TO EXPLORE A GAS FIELD IN the IRAN ,AND THEN IRAN KICKED OUT ONGC (AFTER HITTING THE GAS JACKPOT) !
PEOPLE SAY Y ? Y ARE THESE INDIANS DUDS – BUT STILL SUPREMELY CONFIDENT OF THEIR DIVINITY ?
I present the words of Al Beruni
The Hindus believe that there is no country but theirs, no nation like theirs, no kings like theirs, no religion like theirs, no science like theirs. They are haughty, foolishly vain, self-conceited, and stolid.
PEOPLE SAY HOW COULD THE IRANIANS HAVE MADE SUCH AN ASS OF THE INDIANS ? The Persians know the Indians from the time of Cyrus !
The wisdom of the “children of Cyrus,Darius and Xerxes”,encapsulates the “transcendence of Human thought”, the “Deuterosis of the Dindoo”, as under:
A “Persian dictionary”,titled “Lughet-e-Kishwari”,published in Lucknow in 1964,gives the meaning of the word Hindu as “chore [thief], dakoo [dacoit], raahzan [waylayer], and ghulam [slave].