The Chabahar Transit Project: Transition from Geo-Politics to Geo-Economics

Shabnam Dadparvar and Vali Kaleji

Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2025, vol. 27, issue 3, 283-308

Abstract: The Chabahar Transit Project is a multimodal network linking India, Iran, Afghanistan, and, recently, Uzbekistan, through maritime, rail, and road routes. The project results from a complex combination of interests and goals of the member countries and is a clear example of the transition from geo-politics to geo-economics. Iran looks at the Chabahar part as the only ocean port of the cautery and golden gate to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia to increase Iran’s capacity in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). India looks at the Chabahar transit project as a part of the “Diamond Necklace Strategy” against China’s “String of Pearls” Strategy and also bypassing the traditional rival, Pakistan, especially to counter China’s massive investment in the development of Pakistan’s Gwadar port, as well as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Finally, the Russo-Ukraine war and the block of east-west transit corridors traversing Russian territory into Europe have increased the role of the Chabahar transit project in the INSTC. However, the possible failure of negotiations to revive the JCPOA and the re-imposition of UN Chapter 7 sanctions against Iran is the most crucial challenge for the Chabahar transit project and the India-Iran-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan quadrilateral agreement.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/19448953.2024.2379670

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