TEHERAN, KOMPAS.com – Taking advantage of the chaos on the Suez Canal, Iran is proposing itself as a “way” to connect Europe to Asia.
“An Iranian diplomat said the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) could serve as a low-risk alternative,” he said Press TV Iran.
It is said to be advantageous for the Suez Canal, which has been blocked in recent days. Moreover, the closure is already causing billions of dollars in losses every day.
Kazem Jalali, the diplomat in question, is Iran’s ambassador to Moscow. He said the goods could reach Europe via Iran in 20 days, and could lower costs.
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“Therefore, it is a better choice to replace the Suez Canal as a transit point,” Jalali added as reported The Jerusalem Post on Sunday (28/3/2021).
Iran has been trying to develop railways and roads and rehabilitate its ports.
“Iran, along with India and Russia, is pushing a sea and rail corridor which can substantially reduce the time and cost of shipping goods from India to Europe,” according to the report.
Turkey is also said to want to use Russia and Iran to reach China as a trade corridor.
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All of these countries are believed to want to ensure that Europe will depend on them. All these authoritarian countries are said to want to dominate trade routes to play a bigger role.
In the view of Iran and Russia, this is considered to reduce US power and western power in general.
Iran is currently discussing a 7,200 km multimode route with India and Russia. Iran wants to use the port of Chabahar as a link to India.
A recent Iran report said the discussion of investing in railways and ports was getting more intense. The search for greater connections to India and Pakistan, as well as Turkey is also vigorous.
Also read: The Suez Canal Is Still Closed, Is There An Alternative Route?
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