Chahabar Port
Why in news : Recently, India and Iran discussed the development of chahabar port.
Key tenets about Chahabar port :
- Chabahar Port is a seaport located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.
- It is Iran’s only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths.
- It is only about 170 kilometres west of the Pakistani port of Gwadar.
- In October 2017, India’s first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan was sent through the Chabahar Port. In December 2018, India took over the port’s operations.
Significance of chahabar port for India :
- The Chahabar port boosts the India’s access to Iran. It will also act as a gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor.
- With the Chahabar port being operational, India can bypass Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan.
- It helps India in countering Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea. China is trying to control the region through Gwadar port which it constructed in Pakistan as a part of CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor).
- Chabahar port will ensure in the establishment of a politically sustainable connectivity between India and Afghanistan. This will, in turn, lead to better economic ties between the two countries.
Syllabus : prelims – places in news, mains- GS-2 ; International Relations.
