After separating India from the important ChaBahar project, Iran supported the CPEC and Belt and Road Initiative(BRI).

Iran decided to build its own railway line by separating India from the project on the pretext of tricks. Iran will now complete the Chabahar railway line without India. This agreement was reached between India and Iran 4 years ago and The plan was to build a railway line from Chahbahar to Zahedan on the Afghan border, but India continued to delay work on the project and provide funding, but Iran will complete the project itself by March 2022.

After India’s secession from this important project, Iran has put its weight behind the Pak-China corridor and the Belt and Road project.

Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Syed Mohammad Ali Hosseini said that C-Pac and BRI would change the destiny of the region, these projects would be very beneficial for regional development, especially for Pakistan, China and Iran.

He praised the CPEC and the BRI, saying that the extraordinary move to support these projects was an important sign of a shift in the Tehran government’s foreign policy.

The Iranian Ambassador said that there is no doubt that CPEC and BRI projects are very suitable platforms for development and cooperation in the region, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China. The projects are not only beneficial for us but also for regional cooperation and development as well as for other countries.

It is to be noted that India is suffering from isolation in the region, including the continuous violation of the Line of Control agreement with Pakistan, and New Delhi’s concerns over border disputes with China and other neighbouring countries are increasing.

Agreement between India and Iran

The railway project between Iranian Railways and India’s state-owned company was to provide India with an alternative route to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

In May 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Tehran to sign the ChaBahar agreement with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, where the Indian state-owned company signed an agreement with the Iranian Ministry of Railways.

The MoU was aimed at “building railway lines from ChaBahar to Zahedan as part of the transit and transport corridor in the tripartite agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan.”

The company had promised to provide all services, superstructure work and financial support (approximately $1.6 billion) for the project.

However, despite repeated visits to the Engineers site and preparations by the Iranian Railways, India never embarked on the work, which was apparently due to fears of US sanctions.

India has already cut off its oil imports from Iran due to US sanctions.

This Iranian port was to be built in comparison to Pakistan’s Gwadar port.

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