New Delhi, July 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) India is reassessing its connectivity strategy with Afghanistan by exploring multiple trade and transport corridors beyond Iran’s Chabahar Port, as growing geopolitical uncertainties underscore the risks of relying on a single gateway for regional access, according to a report.
According to a report by Strat News Global, while Chabahar Port remains a cornerstone of India’s engagement with Afghanistan and Central Asia, recent regional developments have highlighted the need to diversify connectivity options and build a more resilient network of trade routes.
For nearly two decades, Chabahar Port has been at the centre of India’s West Asia policy. With Pakistan denying India reliable overland transit access, New Delhi invested in the Iranian port and supported the construction of Afghanistan’s Zaranj-Delaram Highway to establish a trade corridor linking India with Afghanistan and, eventually, Central Asia.
The report noted that India has shown no signs of stepping back from its commitment to the project. Before the conditional US sanctions waiver for Chabahar expired on April 26, 2026, New Delhi prepaid its entire financial commitment of USD 120 million, reaffirming the port’s strategic significance.
However, the report said subsequent developments have exposed the vulnerabilities of depending heavily on a single transit route.
Following renewed tensions between United States and Iran after US President Donald Trump declared the interim ceasefire with Tehran effectively over, American strikes reportedly targeted several locations in Iran, including Chabahar. While it remains unclear whether the port suffered lasting operational disruption, the report said the episode illustrated how geopolitical conflicts could quickly threaten critical infrastructure.
“The lesson is not that India should move beyond Chabahar. It is that India should move beyond dependence on Chabahar,” the report observed.
According to the report, India is now looking at complementary connectivity options rather than alternatives to Chabahar. Among them is the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which links India with Iran, the Caspian region, Russia and Europe through integrated sea, rail and road networks.
The report also highlighted the potential of routes through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to improve Afghanistan’s access to Eurasian markets while reducing dependence on a single corridor.
Although these options face challenges such as infrastructure gaps, customs bottlenecks, sanctions-related complications and political uncertainty, the report said they could collectively provide the redundancy increasingly required for modern supply chains.
The report further suggested that India-Afghanistan ties are evolving beyond connectivity and trade logistics. With Afghanistan facing limited international recognition and constrained foreign investment, Kabul is increasingly looking to India as a long-term development partner.
Agriculture has emerged as a priority area in that engagement. During a recent visit to India with a business delegation, Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Ataullah Omari, emphasised the need to modernise the country’s farming sector.
“Eighty per cent of our people are involved in agriculture and livestock. It is now the time to modernise them,” Omari was quoted as saying.
According to the report, he identified priorities including farm machinery, certified seeds, harvesting technology, crop protection, cold storage, packaging and food processing.
In recent days, as tensions escalate in the Middle East, the maritime traffic control tower at the Chabahar Free Zone was damaged in a US strike on Chabahar on Wednesday, the IRGC said on its Telegram channel, citing the zone’s chief executive Mohammad-Saeid Arbabi.
Meanwhile, speaking at the 137th session of the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London, an Iranian representative earlier said the targets of the US strikes included the maritime traffic control tower at Chabahar Port, civilian fishing vessels and equipment specifically dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of navigation.
Source: IANS
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