Chabahar Port and India-Iran Relations

Vstol don't mind but you and randomradio said the same thing about china.remember you guys were very confident about a secret deal and you even believed that China will not fire first bullet. Now look at indian position.look at all the panic in indian camp. Do you think China will allow indian influence in Iran? Sir real game is between you and China. With right money, agreements can be torn apart.

From what I understand,India should better worry about chabahar because this is the only port for India near strait of Hormuz. It is a tactical position vstol. Huge Chinese investment means no naval Base for India in chabahar. Same is not true with gwadar. Gwadar can host chinese warships. This great game is very interesting.now countries are fighting for influence in other countries.

Sir we haven't made nuclear missiles for fun.i know about your weapons of mass destruction but you are also aware of close collaboration of pakistan with china. Today India is facing problems from Nepal,China, pakistan and now iran turned it's attention towards huge amount of money. Try to understand big picture. I am not saying that India can't attack pakistan.obviously you can attack but now game is totally changed.i agree that pakistan is also facing problems with Iran and Afghanistan but we know Afghanistan quite well so we aren't worried about it. We have to live with it. We are worried about Irani border but with huge Chinese investment in Iran,things will change and probably favor pakistan in the long term.
For your long post I have just one Question. Is India backing down? We are ready for two front war including nukes. Do you even know how many nukes we can make within an extremely short time? AND what about our allies in QUAD? How many nuke subs do we have underwater equipped with nuke missiles and how many of them on each sub? Just wait and watch what we will do to China-Your master. Phir aapka kya hoga?
BTW, how many Pakistanis died today on Afghan border?
 
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For your long post I have just one Question. Is India backing down? We are ready for two front war including nukes. Do you even know how many nukes we can make within an extremely short time? AND what about our allies in QUAD?
Pls forget allies.they will not help you.they will only provide weapons.do you know how many nuclear weapons we possess right now? Guess 200 or 250?
 
Nothing dropped when they are under sanction. Iran has become a very unreliable partner recent years. Better not sink more of our money on them.

Iran can't/ won't fight china. Modiji did masterstroke by dropping Iran and asking USA to become ally. Only USA can fight China after India. And we need all the friends we can get.

Though many people accuse british of surrendering to china at every opportunity, I think UK can play a big supporting role, which is why people like @BMD are so important to us.
 
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Iran can't/ won't fight china
But why ? They don't even have a land border :confused:


Modiji did masterstroke by dropping Iran and asking USA to become ally. Only USA can fight China after India. And we need all the friends we can get
It's common sense, a huge trading partner always triumphs an unreliable liability partner.
 
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Chahbahar-Zahedan rail link: Iran's insistence on roping in a specific entity put deal off track
India’s problem with Iran on the Chahbahar-Zahedan rail link is latter’s insistence on ensuring the civil works contract goes to Khatam al-Anbiya constructions, an entity belonging to Iran’s proscribed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These entities are under secondary sanctions by the US, which means companies who deal with them could also come under scrutiny, face restrictions and may even have their assets frozen.

Now, India does have a waiver from the US to go ahead with the development of the port as well as the railway line. But in doing so, India cannot involve sanctioned entities in the project. So, India asked Iran in December 2019 that must nominate another entity, one which is not proscribed. Iran, according to the South Block, gave no replacement.

It’s important note that Khatam al-Anbiya is not just any IRGC entity but one of its key construction arms, which has been involved building activity at nuclear sites. And IRCON, which had done the feasibility and identified the alignment, could not be exposed to this risk.

From an Indian standpoint, a railway line – regardless of who builds it – must come up because it will help move larger quantities of freight from the Afghan border. There already is a road connecting the port to Zahedan, which is how 8200 containers have moved through this port since December 2018. In the past year alone, 52 vessels were handled at the port. These are not big numbers but better than what Indian authorities had anticipated.

The real roadblock for Iran is American sanctions. Much as the proposed China-Iran deal is being touted, the fact remains that no Chinese entity has yet openly flouted the US sanctions regime. Now, many Chinese entities have worked below the radar to supply dual use items for the nuclear programmes in Iran, North Korea and Pakistan but have never done so overtly.

For all the talk about expansion plans to include China in Chahbahaar, the fact remains that on ground there exist only two terminals – Shahid Kalantari operated by Iran and Shahid Behesti run by India. The Chahbahar Special Economic Zone in which China was to invest in large amounts has still not moved ahead.

Another instance was India’s struggle for getting big crane operators to set up equipment at Chahbahar. Most foreign entities were unwilling despite the fact that India had an American waiver.

Then, Iranian authorities told India that they could obtain this equipment from Chinese companies. New Delhi was open to proposition as long as the equipment reached the port. But it’s been months now and no Chinese equipment is on the horizon.

The issue also is of Iran shifting goalposts. Between 2016, when Iran had reached a nuclear deal with the US and 2018, when the Trump Administration withdrew, Iran vacillated, trying to strike a better bargain but in the end, was unable to close deals.

In Farzad-B, for instance, India was to develop, transport and market the gas. But suddenly, Iran wanted to market it on its own, then said India would only be allowed to export post-extraction. New Delhi, incidentally, accommodated many of these concerns but then Iran wanted India to set up a LNG terminal and that further delayed matters.

At one point, India alerted Iran that Saudi Arabia, which shares the field, was drawing out all the gas while it procrastinated. Then came the new sanctions in 2018 and Iran wanted to revert to the older arrangement which by now became difficult for India.

Even the port could have been delayed had India not moved in for a short-term lease contract(SLC). This was done after Iran stalled talks by linking the activation clause to the condition that India first extend $150 m credit facility. The issue still remains unresolved but the port is functioning under a SLC for 18 months which goes on until October 2020. For this, India also agreed to the nomination of Arya Banader, a local entity, to carry out the civil works.

But the same was not possible with the Khatab al-Anbiya. That China will undertake any such risk, exposing its own entities to US sanctions is one worth watching, because trends show otherwise.
 
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Iran can't/ won't fight china. Modiji did masterstroke by dropping Iran and asking USA to become ally. Only USA can fight China after India. And we need all the friends we can get.

Though many people accuse british of surrendering to china at every opportunity, I think UK can play a big supporting role, which is why people like @BMD are so important to us.
UK is not a strategic partner in grand design of us. France is.

We underestimate how much close we are to France, and then the so called French Israel India nexus.
 
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Afghanistan, Chabahar Port Agree to Expand Logistics Cooperation
Chabahar Port and Afghanistan have signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to expand cooperation in transportation, transit, investment and logistics.

“Based on the MoU, the Afghan private sector has agreed to boost cargo transit traffic through Chabahar’s Shahid Beheshti Port. Chabahar Port Authority, in turn, has agreed to allocate land for Afghan companies as well as cargo storage, and to grant discounts and facilities based on the generated traffic,” Director General of Sistan-Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Organization Behrouz Aqaei was quoted as saying by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development’s news portal.

Chabahar is Iran’s only oceanic port town located in Sistan-Baluchestan Province and consists of two separate terminals: Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti on Iran’s coast along the Sea of Oman.
 

India, Iran, Uzbekistan to hold first trilateral meet on Chabahar port use​

India, Iran and Uzbekistan will hold their first trilateral meeting on joint use of the strategic Chabahar port next week against the backdrop of reports that the incoming Joe Biden administration in the US will re-engage Tehran on the nuclear issue.

The first trilateral working group meeting will be held virtually on December 14, and will be jointly chaired by deputy ministers of Iran and Uzbekistan and a secretary from India, the external affairs ministry said on Saturday.

The announcement came a day after Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed during a summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that a trilateral meeting should be held with Iran to promote Chabahar port.

India currently operates one of the terminals of Chabahar port that it has developed. The strategic project has been given a waiver from sanctions imposed by the US on Iran in view of its importance in shipping cargo and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

“India welcomes the interest of Uzbekistan to use the Chabahar port as a transit port,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

“This would open up economic opportunities for the traders and business community of the region. Besides Uzbekistan, other Central Asian countries have also shown interest in using the port. India seeks to cooperate closely with regional countries on this issue,” the statement added.

US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 and re-imposed crippling sanctions as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign. However, president-elect Joe Biden has said he will offer Iran a “credible path back to diplomacy” since dealing with Tehran’s nuclear programme is the best way to achieve stability in the region.

The US, in consultation with allies and partners, will engage in “negotiations and follow-on agreements to tighten and lengthen Iran’s nuclear constraints”, Biden told The New York Times in an interview this month.

Biden also said he will insist on Iran agreeing to new demands if it wants the US to return to a nuclear deal and lift sanctions.

These developments had resulted in renewed interest in Chabahar port, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.

Following the India-Uzbekistan Summit on Friday, Adarsh Swaika, joint secretary (Eurasia) in the external affairs ministry, said the two sides had discussed how to overcome lack of overland connectivity. Mirziyoyev gave his in-principle concurrence to joining the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), when Modi reiterated a proposal on Uzbekistan’s participation in the project.

“We as a principle would welcome any initiative that increases connectivity between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan or with other Central Asian countries,” Swaika said.
 

@Gautam @Ashwin @nair Please merge the threads.
Done. Thank You for notifying. (y)
 
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Iran, Afghanistan inaugurate crucial rail project​

Iran and Afghanistan on Thursday inaugurated the Khaf-Herat 220-kilometer (136 miles) railroad project, in presence of the presidents two countries.

As part of the large east-west railway corridor extending to China and Europe, this new railway track connects Iran’s eastern city of Khaf with Afghanistan’s western city of Ghorian.

During the virtual inauguration ceremony, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani termed it a “historic day” in the relations between the two neighboring countries.

He said the rail route, which is Iran’s sixth border railroad with neighboring countries, will “strengthen the bond” between Iran and Afghanistan.

Under construction since 2007, the project worth 28 trillion rials ($700 million) consists of four sections. Three sections of the route were funded by Tehran and the fourth section by Kabul.

The three sections, covering 140 km (86 mi) from Khaf in Iran to Roznak in Afghanistan’s Herat province, were put into operation on Thursday.

Ahead of the ceremony, a trial freight train delivered 400 tons of cement from Iran to Afghanistan last week. A passenger train also took Iranian officials to Afghanistan for a meeting.

According to Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami, the railroad can transport one million passengers and six million tons of goods a year.

Rouhani, speaking through video link, said the culture and history of the two countries are intertwined, so the economy and markets should also be linked.

“Our victory is your victory and your happiness are our joy,” he said, addressing the people of the neighboring country.

"We are proud to have hosted millions of Afghans over the past 40 years," he added.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in his speech expressed happiness over the operationalization of what he described as a “historic and vital project.” He hoped the project will lead to an “economic leap” of the region.

The project, which came to fruition under a tripartite agreement between Iran, Afghanistan, and India is expected to play a significant role in linking landlocked Afghanistan with Russia, Europe, and Turkey.

Tehran and Kabul have been involved in talks with three countries (China, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan) in the east-west corridor to develop a long railroad from China to Europe, that passes through Iran and Afghanistan.

Taking to Twitter, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, highlighted the importance of this railroad, calling it a “gateway that will boost trade and people-to-people exchanges and also contribute to regional stability and development”.
 

Months after cancelling deal with China, India acquires heavy cranes for Chabahar port​

India’s operations at Iran’s strategic Chabahar port are set to get a boost with the delivery in January of four heavy cranes, months after a deal with a Chinese state-run firm for the equipment was cancelled amid the border standoff.

In September, India had cancelled a contract with Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries worth almost $30 million for four rail-mounted quay cranes, required for moving heavy cargo, citing delays by the Chinese company in supplying the equipment ordered in 2017.

Following a fresh tender for cranes with 65-tonne capacity, the equipment was procured from a Western company and is now expected to reach Chabahar by next month, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity. They declined to give further details in view of sensitivities linked to US sanctions on Iran, though Chabahar port has been granted a waiver.

The people further said the Iranian side had made a request to the Indian government for railway equipment, including locomotives, signalling gear and equipment for railway stations, to bolster operations on both Chabahar-Zahedan and Khaf-Herat railway lines.

The Iranian side has suggested this equipment can be provided by India under a $150 line of credit that was proposed some years ago, the people said.

These developments come in the wake of the opening on December 10 of a major section of the 220-km Khaf-Herat railway link, which will ultimately connect Khaf in Iran and Roznak in Afghanistan’s Herat province, and a decision by Tehran in November to complete the 628-km Chabahar-Zahedan rail line, which runs from the port to near the Afghan border, with its own funds instead of waiting for the participation of the Indian Railway Construction Limited (IRCON).

“Iran has decided to complete all the infrastructure on its side and India is welcome to join in all the projects. For example, they can supply the railway equipment and develop other facilities such as refineries and petro-chemical industries in the Chabahar free trade zone,” one of the people cited above said, adding the Chabahar-Zahedan rail link is expected to be completed by July 2021.

The external affairs ministry said recently that IRCON had completed a feasibility study and was awaiting a decision from the Iranian side to name a nodal authority. However, it is believed that there was hesitation on the part of private firms to deal with a company linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Committee (IRGC), which has been sanctioned by the US.

Amid reports that some quarters are calling for the Khaf-Herat rail link to be extended south towards the Pakistan border, the people noted that there is interest in taking the line northwards to Uzbekistan and suggested India could play a key role in such a venture.

India, Iran and Uzbekistan held their first trilateral meeting focused on Chabahar port on December 14 and the people said this body is now expected to meet every three months to push forward the joint use of the strategic trade and transit facility on the Gulf of Oman to enhance regional connectivity.

“Given its extensive presence in Afghanistan, India can play a role in helping to develop the Khaf-Herat rail route and extend it to Uzbekistan. Despite the sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Khaf-Herat line was opened and it will help boost landlocked Afghanistan,” the person cited above said.

In May 2016, India Ports Global and Iran’s Aria Banader Iranian Port and Marine Services Company signed a deal to equip and operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port, with a capital investment of $85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million, on a 10-year lease.