Iran's Chabahar port development to see possible Indo-Japanese collaboration

In a likely beefing up of India's ambitions in Afghanistan and Central Asia, Japan is reported to be considering partnering India in developing the strategically located Chabahar port project in Iran, which is seen as a counterweight to China's presence at Gwadar in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Prime minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Iran soon and both countries are hoping to sign a commercial contract for the Chabahar port as well as modalities for India extending a $150 million line of credit for the project. The port located in southeastern Iran is expected to act as a gateway for India not just to Afghanistan but to the whole of Central Asia, allowing India to sidestep Pakistan.

While diplomatic sources here said "nothing concrete had been decided" yet, this is not the first time Tokyo is reported to have shown interest in Chabahar. Its ambassador to Iran Koji Haneda had last year, before the international sanctions on Iran were lifted, had visited the port city on the Gulf of Oman and spoken about how the project could turn into a global trade hub.