NEW DELHI: India's grand strategic design of helping to develop the Chah Bahar port in Iran as a link to Afghanistan and Central Asia has run aground. Senior South Block officials told this correspondent that there has been little movement on a joint commitment by both countries.

The development of the port in the Gulf of Oman was linked to the construction of the Zaranj-Delaram road in Afghanistan, which India believed would be allowed as a transit route into Afghanistan, as Pakistan does not allow through transport of Indian goods.

"A pipedream"

According to the officials, a leading Indian company had decided against making any investment in the project. "This whole project seems a pipedream," they said.

With Iran refusing to give final clearance to the $21-billion contract with India on supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a question mark hanging over the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, the India-Iran "strategic partnership" is in deep trouble.

Clearly, the political cost of the two Indian votes against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna is beginning to tell. Iran informed India on September 24, 2005, the day New Delhi voted against Teheran, that the LNG deal was "off."

Energy sector

During the visit of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to New Delhi in January 2003, the two sides agreed on a "strategic partnership."

Bilateral agreements signed then identified the energy sector as a "strategic area" of future relationship.

"The areas of cooperation include upstream and downstream activities in the hydrocarbon sector and working upon secure modes of transport of energy. India and Iran also agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in defence in agreed areas, including training and exchange of visits," an official summary of the documents stated.

In a bid to encourage bilateral trade and economic cooperation, they specifically referred to the development of the Chah Bahar port complex, the Chah Bahar-Fahraj-Bam railway link and a marine oil tanker terminal at an agreed location.

Difficulties

The officials claimed that the Iranian side was creating difficulties for India in lifting diesel and cement for construction of the Zaranj-Delaram road by the Border Roads Organisation in Afghanistan.

They said Iranian support was critical for the construction of the road.

Interestingly, press reports have spoken of Iranian and Pakistani plans to hold talks on a ferry service between the Chah Bahar and Gwadar ports. Given that Iran and India (along with Russia) cooperated closely in Afghanistan to deal with the Taliban and Pakistan, these developments indicate the current distance between New Delhi and Teheran.

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