Iran Boosting Maritime Transport despite US Sanctions: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – CEO of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) Mohammad Rastad highlighted the failure of the US sanctions against the country and said despite the economic pressures, the Islamic Republic’s maritime transport is progressing well.
Speaking to Tasnim in the southwestern city of Bushehr, Rastad said one of the objectives behind the US sanctions against Iran is to create obstacles to the country’s transit routes and foreign trade.
However, he added, the maritime transport and trade processes have, fortunately, continued well, relying on domestic capabilities and capacities.
Rastad further said one of the major plans of the PMO is to boost trade with different countries, adding that in this regard, numerous transit agreements have been signed between the Islamic Republic and regional countries.
The official pointed to a trilateral transit deal between Iran, India, and Afghanistan called the Chabahar Agreement and said it aims to improve the transit activities between the three countries.
The governments of Iran, Afghanistan, and India in May 2016 signed the Chabahar Agreement, which is a regional transport network initiative.
It aims to create a reliable transport corridor for the smooth transport and transit of goods and services through Chabahar Port between the three countries.
The Iranian port of Chabahar provides easy access to the sea to Afghanistan.
Chabahar is the closest and best access point of Iran to the Indian Ocean and Iran has devised serious plans to turn it into a transit hub for immediate access to markets in the northern part of the Indian Ocean and Central Asia.