Pakistan Launches New Trade Corridor Through Iran
The corridor's first shipment — frozen meat bound for Tashkent, Uzbekistan — was dispatched Friday, formally activating the Pak-Iran Transit Corridor. Under the arrangement, Pakistani cargo will move through Gwadar port, a cornerstone of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), before transiting through Iran into Central Asia.
Munawar Hussain Panhwar, associate professor at Islamabad-based Quaid-i-Azam University, drew a direct line between the corridor's launch and the diplomatic thaw between the two neighbors.
"This (corridor) seems to be interlinked with growing bilateral relations between Islamabad and Tehran, which began after Iran's 12-day war against Israel in June last year," Panhwar said.
Pakistan backed Iran at international platforms, including the UN Security Council — a gesture that analysts say helped defuse tensions between the two countries.
"Pakistan's mediatory efforts to end the Middle East conflict have further brought the two sides closer," Panhwar added.
The trade route's activation follows Islamabad's recent easing of export regulations, permitting shipments of food, medicines, and tents to Iran and onward through the corridor to Central Asian states.
Pakistan, alongside Türkiye, China, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, played a pivotal role in securing a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran last week — 39 days after US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in February. Islamabad also hosted rare US-Iran negotiations on Saturday, which concluded without a formal agreement but reportedly yielded progress on "several" points, excluding Iran's nuclear program.
China's Strategic Stake
Beijing's interests are also deeply embedded in the corridor's future, Panhwar noted.
"China, which also pushed Iran, wants the CPEC's connectivity with Central Asia, and this corridor will play a significant role," he said. "The US is also onboard in this regard, I am sure," he added.
The $64-billion CPEC project connects northwest China to Gwadar port through an extensive network of roads, railways, and pipelines — opening access to the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.
India Left Behind
Conspicuously absent from the new arrangement is Pakistan's longtime rival India, which had previously cultivated strong ties with Tehran. In 2016, Iran, India, and Afghanistan signed a tripartite agreement to develop Chabahar Port — a deep-water facility on Iran's southeastern coast — backed by substantial Indian investment as an alternative route bypassing Pakistan into Afghanistan and Central Asia.
That strategy has since unraveled. Facing mounting US sanctions and a looming April 2026 deadline, India transferred $120 million, liquidating its financial stake, while officials resigned from India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) to avoid penalties.
Pakistan has moved swiftly to fill the resulting trade vacuum. Its commerce with Central Asia, including Afghanistan, climbed to $2.41 billion in 2025 — up from $1.92 billion in 2024 — with exports reaching $1.77 billion and imports totaling $641 million.
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