Iran Activates Land, Rail Corridors with Pakistan, Turkey as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Rise
Amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is activating alternative corridors—initiated years ago—by completing semi-finished railway and road transport projects with Pakistan and Turkey.
While the naval blockade and recent threats in the Strait of Hormuz disrupt the region's supply chain and trade, the Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on strategic plans launched years ago in the field of transport diplomacy, is activating a network of new land and rail corridors. The primary goal is to bypass unstable maritime routes and create secure highways connecting South Asia to Europe.One of the most significant projects is the revival of the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul (ITI) railway corridor, also known as the ECO train. This 6,500-kilometer route, suspended since 2022 due to floods and administrative issues, is now ready to be set back on track. Pakistan's Minister of Railways, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, has emphasized that regional instability, including recent wars in West Asia, was the main cause of the delay. However, cooperation with Iran to resolve the rail gauge difference at the Taftan border and to renovate the Quetta-Zahedan route is underway.Meanwhile, important breakthroughs have occurred in the road transport sector. Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce issued an order allowing, under the 2008 transport agreement between the two countries, goods from third countries to transit through Gwadar, Karachi, and Port Qasim ports to Iran via the Gabd and Taftan borders.This decision comes as Iran had for years conducted most of its imports through the UAE's Jebel Ali port—a route now deemed unstable due to the intensifying naval blockade and political shifts.
Pakistan's Gwadar Port has become a key node in this context. Experts believe that Gwadar Port, located 70 kilometers from the Iranian border, can complement Chabahar Port in bypassing the naval blockade and facilitating goods transit to Iran and Central Asian countries.By connecting to the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Iran is transforming into the beating heart of transit between South Asia and Europe. Overall, Iran's strategy to reduce dependence on volatile maritime routes and replace them with land and rail cooperation with Eastern and Western neighbors appears to be bearing fruit.
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