TEHRAN (Iran News) – Fifty-three companies have requested to invest in Chabahar, Iran’s only oceanic port, a senior official said.
Over the 11 months ending to February 19, some 170 Iranian and foreign delegations have visited the port which Iran intends to develop by attracting private and public sectors’ investments.
“The visits to Chabahar have led to 53 invest requests and the conclusion of seven contracts worth $100 million,” ports and maritime managing director in Sistan-Baluchestan Province told Tasnim News Agency.
Exports from the port rose 41 percent in the 11 months, Behrouz Aqaei added.
In a rare move, the US has exempted Chabahar from its sanctions, citing its pivotal role in bringing landlocked Afghanistan out of isolation. Afghans see the Iranian port as a gate to international markets, hoping it would boost their war-torn country’s trade.
Last December, Iran, and India agreed to speed up the development of Chabahar port which New Delhi views as a gateway to access Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced the news after meeting Iranian officials in Tehran where the two sides took stock of the state of bilateral relations after the US reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.
India’s reports said last month the government had unlocked another $13.9 million for the development of Chabahar.
Meanwhile, Iran gave the go-ahead to two Afghan banks to open branches in the port.
The Indian government has begun commercial operation in parts of the Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar by taking over the terminal area and cargo handling equipment.
- source : Iran Daily, Irannews
