India Ports Global Ltd on December 24 took over operations of the Shaheed Behesti Port in Chabahar on the southeastern coast of Iran. The company opened its office following the first meeting of the follow-up committee for implementation of the trilateral Chabahar agreement between India, Afghanistan and Iran, said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). During the meeting, it was agreed to allow cargo movement at Chabahar using Transports Internationaux Routiers Convention provisions, the MEA said.

India is investing $500 million to develop the Chabahar port and a road link from there to Afghanistan to give access to that country, bypassing Pakistan. The port is also a key link in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-km-long multi-modal network of ship, rail and road routes to move freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

“Positive and constructive discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the trilateral transit agreement for international transit and transport through the Chabahar port. They agreed on the routes for the trade and transit corridors between the three countries,” the MEA said.

It was agreed to finalise at the earliest, the protocol to harmonise transit, roads, Customs and consular matters. A study will be initiated for determining measures to make the route attractive, decrease logistic costs and pave the way for smooth operationalisation of the Chabahar agreement.

Last month, the US waived India from its fresh sanctions on Iran’s oil imports and development of the Chabahar port. Despite President Donald Trump’s animosity towards Iran, the US had to give an exemption to Chabahar to enable Indian assistance to reach Afghanistan, where Washington is mired in a 17-year war against the Taliban, the al-Qaeda and their allies. Without access to Chabahar, Afghanistan would be forced to depend solely on Pakistan for a sea passage.

In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan inked a pact that entailed the establishment of a transit and transport corridor among the three countries using Chabahar port as one of the regional hubs for sea transportation in Iran, besides multi-modal transport of goods and passengers across the three nations. The port in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich nation’s southern coast is easily accessible from India’s western coast and is increasingly seen as a counter to Pakistan’s Gwadar port, which is being developed with Chinese investment and is located at a distance of around 80 km from Chabahar.