Iranian President Hassan Rouhani yesterday inaugurated a newly-built extension to the country’s main Arabian Sea outlet – the Chabahar’s Shahid Beheshti Port in the Gulf of Oman.
“The North-South Corridor is very important for the region and the world and today we are happy that its first phase has been put into operation and we hope that we can construct the other phases as soon as possible, ” said the president at the ceremony.
The development of Chabahar Port is a driving force for the country’s economic development, especially the South East, and port operations can create added value and employment in the south-east of Iran, added Rouhani.
During the first phase of the Shahid Beheshti Port project, around 15 million cubic meters of material was dredged from the area, creating 203 hectares of new land.
This new $340 million development scheme opens up a new strategic transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia for India through Iran, bypassing Pakistan.
The port project, located in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province, was inaugurated in presence of representatives from India, Afghanistan and several other countries of the region.