Iran says Chabahar-Zاهدan railway will open new transit route for Afghanistan
Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei, head of the office of Iran’s president, said the Chabahar-Zاهدan railway, which he said will be inaugurated this week, can serve as a new transit route linking Afghanistan, via the port of Chabahar, to Iran’s rail network and global markets.
Explaining the Iranian government’s transport and transit policies, he said the development of corridors and the completion of railway lines are the two main pillars of this plan. According to him, Tehran is seeking to expand connectivity routes between the north, south, east and west of the region.
Haji-Mirzaei said the railway is not only a domestic project and is also important for Afghanistan because, by connecting to Chabahar, it will provide access to open waters and new trade routes. He also claimed the route could reduce Afghanistan’s reliance on traditional and costly transit paths.
The head of the Iranian president’s office added that by using Iran’s rail network, Afghanistan could also connect to the north-south and east-west corridors. He described this as important for trade, food security and Afghanistan’s economic development.
He went on to say the route could also activate the economic potential of eastern Iran and Afghanistan and create conditions for the movement of goods from Central Asia to Chabahar and vice versa. According to him, the port of Chabahar holds a key position for countries without access to open waters.
Haji-Mirzaei also said of the north-south corridor that 164 kilometres of railway remain unfinished on the Astara-Rasht route and work is underway. He added that once this route is completed, Iran will become one of the main transit hubs for goods between Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
In another part of his remarks, he said the Iranian government has prioritised strengthening northern ports and activating eastern and western border crossings after some southern ports were damaged during the war. According to him, more than 25 new border terminals have also been activated.
The port of Chabahar is located in southeastern Iran on the coast of the Sea of Oman and is considered one of the country’s few oceanic ports. In recent years, it has consistently been presented as one of the alternative routes for Afghanistan’s transit access to open waters.
