Iran has invested some $1 billion in the remote port, Shahid Beheshti, in Chabahar, which is located on the Indian Ocean, in a volatile region, close to the Pakistani border, amid the United States attempting to tighten sanctions over the Islamic Republic country.
According to Sputnik news reports, the development has drawn the attention of the Iranian government as the port remains the only area that has received sanction exemption from the US, sanctions reimposed last year.
The Shahid Beheshti port was slated to become part of a trade route, named as the North-South corridor, that would connect the Indian Ocean and Central Asia.
Roads and development minister Mohammad Eslami pleaded to let the development continue to the port, airport, rail network, and road network so that Tehran could be able to implement its ambitious plan in future.
Amin growing foreign pressure and development of Chabahar port, Iran aspires to maintain the flow of goods through the port, for delivering goods worldwide, importantly India, and further breaking Afghanistan’s dependence on the route through Pakistan.
However, though the port’s infrastructure had become operational since December 2017, before the US reimposed its sanctions over it, the project was yet to be undertaken. Last year, despite having a capacity of 8.5 million tonnes, it has handled only 2.1 million tonnes.