Afghan Launches India-Iran Shipping

Afghan Ministry of Transportation will soon launch a commercial shipping line with the assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran to conduct business activities between Chabahar Free Trade Zone and India.

IRNA reported quoted the Afghan Ministry of Transportation as saying that the shipping sector would soon be formed and the ships could operate commercial activities with the flag of Afghanistan in free waters.

The other local media hailed the move saying that Afghan will soon establish a department of shipping and ships will plough the ocean flying the Afghan flag. They said the ships would run between Iran’s free port of Chabahar and India.

Recently US granted sanctions waiver to India on Chabahar as the port is at the centre of Washington's South Asia strategy.

The construction of the railway line connecting Afghanistan with Iran will also remain exempt from Washington's punitive sanctions, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

The report said that this significant decision by the Donald Trump administration is a clear vindication of the role India has been playing in developing Chabahar, and its strategic value for Afghan reconstruction and development. Trump's decision will undeniably go a long way in safeguarding both Indian and American interests in Afghanistan.