Speaking to ILNA and touching upon the complaints of owners of goods and traders for prolongation of plying of ships between the northern ports and Russian ports, Ali Akbar Safaei said that there is no delay on this route and the linear is active in the Caspian Sea and all freight ships continue their journey on this route so that freight ships take five days to reach its destination on this route. The secretary of the shipping association had claimed that an Iranian ship can travel just at most 1.5 times per month on this route.

When he was asked about the duration of port operation in the Astara Khan Port of Russia, Safaei said that there is some timetable defined for the ship linear and the duration of travel is very less than the claimed duration and the route of voyage from northern ports to Kazakhstan port with inclusion of two stops in two ports just will take 6 days and if the ship starts its journey from Anzali Port to Astara Khan directly, it will take only 5 days but the period of anchoring and port operation depends on the amount and volume of loading and unloading, and sometimes the ship is stopped in the ports due to different reasons.

Touching upon the investment of Russians in the northern ports of Iran, Safaei said that Russians have entered investment in Iran’s logistic sector and they are serious for investment in this field due to the problems created after war with Ukraine and so far they have had 12 meetings regarding investment in Iran’s ports but details have not been finalized yet.

On the necessity of dredging Volga River, he emphasized that currently the problem for reaching Russia and Russian ports is the dredging Volga River and there have been some talks with Russians and Russians are working on holding the tender for dredging Volga River and Iranian companies take part in the tender for dredging the Volga River.

Safaei pointed to the effectiveness of sea transportation in pick-up in the North-South Corridor and said that to activate this corridor, the shipping fleet capacity of the Caspian Sea especially ro-ro ships should increase, adding that currently the sea fleet capacity of the country has reached 30m and for renovating the shipping fleet, the country needs building and purchase of 150 ships.

On the requests of foreign companies for operating Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar, he said that the organization is in talks with some countries for new operator in the Chabahar Port but the process is very long because talks for investments need more time. He added that the organization is keen for involvement of private sectors of those countries in Iran’s ports and currently China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia have shown their interests and talks with the Chinese are in the serious.

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According to reports and during the meeting, Fatemi Amin said that Iran and Indonesia are two major powers in their own regions and they have deep bilateral political and cultural relations. He expressed hope that their economic relations would move ahead equaling their political and cultural relations.

Fatemi Amin pointed to setting target for increasing the bilateral economic relations, adding that during the visit of Indonesian president to Tehran in 2016, both sides decided to increase the trade to $2b but their bilateral trade is currently around one billion dollars and called for setting up workgroups to prepare roadmap for increasing bilateral trade between the two states.

He expressed interest in boosting bilateral economic relations and said that economies of Iran and Indonesia are complementary and each can provide the required products of the other party.

Fatemi Amin then emphasized the necessity of joint investment between the two states, adding that joint investments will deepen and broaden the relation between the two countries.

The minister then said that Indonesia has good capacities in the fields of palm oil, paper and rubber and it can use Chabaha Port as the regional hub for its exports.

He said that Iran enjoys having very good transit capacities in the north-south corridor, adding that Russia also is interested in expansion of this corridor by Iran because this route is the cheapest one.

Fatemi Amin went on to say that there are great opportunities in Iran for joint cooperation, stipulating that Iran’s steel industries and home appliances have progressed very well, adding that there are appropriate capacities for enhancing relations in some fields like medical equipment industries, auto-making and bio technology.

Then Indonesian official Mr. Gobel, for his part, said that this visit to Tehran was aimed at pursuing the previous talks and consultations with Iranian side for enhancing trade ties and following the emphasis of presidents of the two countries and announced readiness of Indonesia for deepening economic relations.

He pointed to the presence of Indonesian media representatives and private sector in his delegation to Tehran and said that the delegation had different meetings with the private sector and Iranian knowledge-based and technology companies.

Gobel went on to hail the progresses of Iran in the Nano-technology and knowledge-based fields and voiced readiness of Indonesia to take advantage of Iran’s progress in those fields. He reiterated that Iran and Indonesia can have joint valuable cooperation for both countries and Muslim ummah with joint cooperation in the fields especially in the health technology.

Indonesian Ambassador to Tehran Mr. Ronny P. Yuliantoro as well as Head of Iran Trade Promotion Organization Alireza Peyman Pak as well as some of the foreign ministry officials were present in this meeting.

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According to the public relations of the Ports and Marine Organization Department of Sistan and Baluchestan, Finnish Ambassador Kahiluoto during his visit was accompanied by Director General of the Organization Mr. Behrouz Aqaee. This visit was done in line with studying investment opportunities and grounds for developing cooperation in the transportation and transit sectors.

In the meeting with Mr. Aqaee, Finnish diplomat said that Chabahar Port purchases top technologies and Finland is one of presenter of top technologies welcomes offering services in Chabahar Port.

He reiterated that Chabahar Port in terms of humanitarian aids to Afghanistan and connection with Asian countries is very important for Finland. He noted that in the visit he got acquainted well and will refer its studies and findings to Finnish companies regarding the capacities of Chabahar Port.

Then Mr. Aqaee, for his part, said that this year most of ships docking in the port are over 70,000 tons, adding that Chabahar Port has progressed in the developmental issues and infrastructures very well and this port sees no limit in offering services and any country wishing to invest in the port will be welcomed.

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Central Asian countries could unlock their vast economic potential by connecting with the Chabahar port in Iran, Modi said on Thursday in an online meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) hosted by Tajikistan.

“Central Asia’s vast economic potential has remained untapped because of radicalization and extremism,” the prime minister added.

The Chabahar port is going to open up an important route to connect Afghanistan to Central Asia while bypassing India’s main rival, Pakistan.

In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement for the strategically-located Chabahar to give New Delhi access to Kabul and Central Asia.

The original plan committed at least $21 billion to the so-called Chabahar–Hajigak corridor, which then included $85 million for Chabahar port development, a $150 million credit line to Iran, an $8 billion India-Iran MOU for Indian industrial investment in a Chabahar special economic zone, and $11 billion for the Hajigak iron and steel mining project awarded to seven Indian companies in central Afghanistan.

India is currently the only foreign country that is participating in a major development project in Iran despite the U.S. sanctions.

The Chabahar Port development project is the anchor for the expansion of economic relations between the two nations.

India is going to install and operate modern loading and unloading equipment including mobile harbor cranes in Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar.

Back in February, the director-general of the political office of India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said his ministry has received the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization’s request for accelerating the importing and installation of equipment for the Chabahar port and India is seriously pursuing the matter.

Iranian and Indian officials held a meeting in Chabahar in late January to review the state of mutual cooperation in the development of Shahid Beheshti Port.

The strategic port in southeastern Iran is the only ocean port on the Makran coast and it has a special place in the country’s economic affairs.

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According to the Chabahar Free Zone’s Office of Public Relations, Samir Hamrouni, the CEO of the World FZO has announced the approval of Chabahar port as a permanent member of his organization through a letter addressed to the Managing Director of Chabahar Free Zone Abdolrahim Kordi.

Based on the said decision, from now on, Chabahar, as a permanent member with the right to vote, can actively and effectively participate in the decisions and events of the mentioned organization.

In his letter to Kordi, Hamrouni has also expressed hope that the Chabahar Free Zone and the World Free Zones Organization will be able to have constructive cooperation with each other and with other free zones around the world.

World FZO is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

As Iran’s only oceanic port on the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar port holds great significance for the country both politically and economically. The country has taken serious measures for developing this port in order to improve the country’s maritime trade.

In this regard, the Islamic Republic has been welcoming investors from all over the world to take part in the development of this port and benefit from its distinguished position as a trade hub in the region.

Chabahar port consists of Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti terminals, each of which has five berth facilities. The port is located in Iran’s Sistan-Balouchestan Province and is about 120 kilometers southwest of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, where the China-funded Gwadar port is situated.

In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement for the strategically-located Chabahar to give New Delhi access to Kabul and Central Asia.

Based on an agreement with Iran, India is going to install and operate modern loading and unloading equipment including mobile harbor cranes in Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar.

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The construction operations of the Shahid Beheshti port’s 100,000-ton silo in southeastern Chabahar port city were started in late October 2020 and the silo will be put into operation in the Iranian calendar year 1401, Aghaei told IRIB.

The silo has a dynamic capacity of 600,000 tons per year, he added.

According to the official, the silo will be equipped with an electronic unloading system and two transmission lines to transport goods from docks.

This silo has been constructed with the aim of increasing the port’s storage capacity for the ships carrying basic goods to the region, he stated.

“By increasing storage capacity as one of the economic factors of the country’s ports, this project will have a great impact on reducing the costs of transportation and storage of goods in southeastern Iran,” Aghaei added.

As Iran’s only oceanic port on the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar port holds great significance for the country both politically and economically. The country has taken serious measures for developing this port in order to improve the country’s maritime trade.

The port consists of Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti terminals, each of which has five berth facilities. The port is located in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province and is about 120 kilometers southwest of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, where the China-funded Gwadar port is situated.

Iran has already started working on a 600-kilometer-long railway line connecting Chabahar port to Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province close to the Afghan border.

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The port enjoys modern equipment for loading and unloading of goods, the official said.

There are no docking limitations for ships arriving in the ports, Shahdadi said, adding that the port offers a significant discount in a mutual manner to ships coming from Indian ports.

Exports from the southeastern port of Chabahar has increased by 381% so far in the current Iranian year (started March 20, 2020) compared with last year’s corresponding period, the head of Sistan-Baluchestan’s Ports and Maritime Organization said.

“Agricultural products, livestock and meat exports registered a growth of 100% and exports of building materials increased by 748%,” Behrouz Aqaei was also quoted as saying by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development’s news portal, without mentioning the volume or value of exports.

Noting that Chabahar accounts for 9% of Iran’s total imports of essential goods since March 20, the official said, “Imports of essential goods, including wheat, barley, corn, rice, sugar and vegetable oils, from the country’s only oceanic port jumped by 71% year-on-year. The transit of agricultural commodities, food, and machinery through Chabahar increased by 95%.”

In its budget for 2021-22 unveiled on Monday, the Indian government has set aside ₹100 crores for the development of the port against the backdrop of the Trump administration giving way to the Biden administration.

Chabahar is the only Iranian port with direct access to the Indian Ocean. India views Chabahar as a gateway to access landlocked Central Asia and Afghanistan.

So far, the uncertainty was still high, a second Indian industry representative said, given that the US and Iran were insisting that the other take the first step to come back to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that the Trump administration pulled out of. “Let us see how things develop,” the second industry representative cited above said. “But we have started getting calls from the Iranian side, seeking contacts and appointments with our industry partners. There is interest on both sides to re-engage,” the person said.

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IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – A member of board of directors of Confederation of Iranian Industry says normalization of the UAE’s ties with Israel means that Iran should change policy of transit of goods and trade from the UAE to other countries because this route is now getting risky and dangerous.

Speaking to ILNA, Mehdi Karimi Tafreshi talked about recent developments in the region, especially in the UAE and normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel.

He said despite protests from Palestinian groups and leaders, since the normalization of UAE and Israel, both countries have so far signed several agreements. He said Israeli media have claimed that after these agreements, Israel’s current $300m exports to the UAE will bounce and become hundreds of millions of dollars.

Tafreshi said that UAE is one of the oil-rich countries and one of the major investors in the Middle East and it is also one of the most advanced trade centers in the world, adding that for this reason, Israelis are keen to increase its trade with this country with an eye on boosting its trade in the Persian Gulf market.

He said according to estimates, some 300 Israeli companies are active in the UAE whose activities are through international companies and normalization of ties will actually reduce the heavy costs of those Israeli companies which are active through international companies.

Tafreshi reiterated that UAE rulers and officials are keen to boost their role in the region due to competition with Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and intend to replace Saudi Arabia as major actor in the region. He said Israelis are aware of it and want Arab countries to help them in advancing their goals, noting that Israel with this agreement essentially has targeted Iran while the Emiratis are pursuing other goals and this issue may overshadow the UAE’s ties with other Islamic partners.

He said Israel by normalization of ties with the UAE can change its source of providing energy and for this reason Turkey had negative reaction to the normalization.

Tafreshi added that during the sanctions, Iran decided to shift its transit focus from the UAE to other countries and development of Chabahar Port was put on its agenda. He said Iran should take this point seriously and it should shift its transit focus from the UAE to other countries as soon as possible before the UAE is fully dominated by Israelis.

He noted that in recent years some Iranian traders have shifted from the UAE to Qatar, Oman and Turkey and it seems it more traders do it in the upcoming years.

Tafreshi noted that the UAE is one of the important trade partners of Iran and it seems the main goal of normalization has been to target Iran’s economic advantages and so Iran should gradually reduce its trade dependence on the UAE and should use other options like developing Chabahar Port as new replacement.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iran, India, and Uzbekistan held the first-ever meeting of a trilateral working group on the joint use of the strategic Chabahar Port, southeastern Iran.

The meeting was held virtually on Monday and co-chaired by Iranian Deputy Transport Minister Shahram Adamnejad, Indian Ports Ministry Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan, and Uzbek Deputy Transport Minister Davron Dexkanov.

The Meeting was jointly chaired virtually by Secretary (Shipping), Sanjeev Ranjan, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan, D. Dehkanov and Deputy Transport Minister of Iran, Shahram Adamnejad. During the meeting, the participants discussed joint use of Chabahar Port for trade and transit purposes and enhanced regional connectivity. All sides also noted the significant role played by Chabahar port for the region to deliver humanitarian assistance during the COVID pandemic. All sides welcomed India’s proposal to hold “Chabahar Day” on the sidelines of the International Maritime Summit scheduled to be hosted by India in January 2021.

Uzbekistan has been keen to use the Chabahar port as a transit port for the Indian Ocean region and the port can give more options to the landlocked Central Asian region and Eastern part of Russia, according to diplomatic sources familiar with the region. This connectivity will also enhance India’s footprints in Afghanistan as Uzbekistan will be connected to Chabahar Port via the landlocked country. Besides Uzbekistan, other Central Asian countries including Kazakhstan have also shown interest in using the port. India seeks to cooperate closely with regional countries on this issue, officials said. Indian presence in Chabahar Port has been immune from US sanctions on Iran and Delhi has been keen to build railway link from Chabahar port to link landlocked Afghanistan.

It may be noted that Uzbekistan has built a railway link to Afghanistan to connect to Iranian railway network eyeing use of Chabahar Port as an entry into the Indian Ocean region. Uzbekistan is among two doubly landlocked countries in the world. Tashkent over the past five years buoyed by economic reforms is seeking to increase its Indian Ocean outreach to break away from its landlocked status.

In a videoconference on Tuesday, Iranian Deputy of Road Minister at Transport Affairs Shahram Adamnejad and Uzbek Deputy Minister of Transport D Dehkanov discussed the implementation of transit strategies between the two countries to the origin and destination of India and other third countries through the port of Chabahar.

Chabahar port is a safe and very suitable port for the transit of goods, said Adamnejad, adding that the neighboring countries and the region can benefit from investing in this port.

Referring to the restrictions imposed by Turkmenistan on the entry or transit of goods through this country, he informed of Iran’s effective measures in the field of transportation of goods and trucks by vessels from Iran’s northern ports in the Caspian Sea.

For his part, Dehkanov also praised the facilities and equipment of Chabahar port, saying that considering the operational capabilities, equipment and geostrategic position of Chabahar port, it is suggested that a joint working group be formed with representatives of Iran and Uzbekistan to carefully review the plans and present operational plans of Uzbekistan presence in Shahid Beheshti port of Chabahar.

In this meeting, an official at Ports & Maritime Organization Of Iran Khosrow Saraei also said that located in a strategic area and outside the Strait of Hormuz, Chabahar port has access to deep open waters.

Referring to the developments in Chabahar port and the presence of Indian investors, he added that during the last 22 months, 72 container ships, 20 General Cargo ships, 3 livestock ships and one cargo ship were accepted in Chabahar port, which indicates the prosperity of this port and the increase in the volume of operations.

Stating that Chabahar port has joined the free zone and enjoys the rules and regulations of a free zone, he announced a 50% discount on the transit of goods and a 25-year tax exemption and free transfer of currency abroad as part of the benefits of investing in the port.

Referring to the good experience of Indians in attracting goods and ships to the port of Chabahar, Saraei invited Uzbek transport officials to use the facilities provided in Chabahar.

India proposed to hold a “Chabahar Day” on the sidelines of the upcoming Indian-hosted International Maritime Summit and the other participants welcomed it, the Indian foreign ministry said in a press release.

The Chabahar Port is strategically located on Iran’s energy-rich southeastern coast in the Gulf of Oman and is connected to Afghanistan by a railroad. For India, it is a convenient route to trade with landlocked Central Asian countries bypassing Pakistan.

Uzbekistan’s involvement in the project was a proposal put forward by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.

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