5 Reasons Chabahar Port Counters China’s Gwadar

The Indian Foreign Ministry has responded firmly to comments made by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, regarding Muslims in India. The spokesperson from the Ministry of External Affairs criticized other countries for commenting on minority issues, urging them to reflect on their own records before making such statements. On September 16, Khamenei had grouped India alongside Gaza and Myanmar as places where Muslims are allegedly suffering. This isn’t the first time the Iranian leader has made such remarks about India.

During the riots in Delhi in 2020, Khamenei had also called on India to halt the “genocide of Muslims.”

 

Khamenei urges empathy for global Muslims

5 Reasons Chabahar Port Counters China’s Gwadar  On Monday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei met with Sunni scholars to mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, known as Milad-un-Nabi. According to the official news agency IRNA, Khamenei emphasized that Muslims should not remain indifferent to the suffering of fellow members of their community anywhere in the world, including Gaza, as such indifference contradicts Islamic teachings.

 

Khamenei emphasizes unity, global Muslim support

5 Reasons Chabahar Port Counters China’s Gwadar  Khamenei also stated that the dignity of the Islamic community can only be achieved through unity and stressed the importance of supporting the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. He warned that those who neglect this duty will be accountable before God. However, when Khamenei shared these views on X, he included India alongside Myanmar and Gaza. He wrote, “The enemies of Islam have consistently attempted to make us indifferent to our shared Islamic identity. We cannot call ourselves Muslims if we ignore the suffering of Muslims in Myanmar, Gaza, India, or elsewhere.”

 

India condemns Iran’s comments on minorities

5 Reasons Chabahar Port Counters China’s Gwadar  Following this, late on September 16, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement declaring the remarks by Iran’s Supreme Leader as unacceptable. The statement read, “We strongly condemn the comments made by Iran’s Supreme Leader regarding minorities in India. These remarks are based on incorrect information and are entirely unacceptable. Countries commenting on minority issues should first examine their own records before making statements about others.”

 

Khamenei frequently criticizes India’s Muslim issues

5 Reasons Chabahar Port Counters China’s Gwadar  In March 2020, during the riots in North East Delhi that left more than 53 people dead, Khamenei expressed his concerns in a tweet, stating, “The genocide of Muslims in India has deeply saddened Muslims worldwide. The Indian government must confront radical Hindus and their parties and stop the genocide of Muslims to prevent India’s isolation from the Islamic world.”

A few months prior, when India revoked Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, Khamenei also voiced criticism. He tweeted, “We are concerned about the condition of Muslims in Kashmir. While we maintain good relations with India, we hope the Indian government will adopt a just policy toward the noble people of Kashmir and end the oppression of Muslims in the region.”

In 2022, after former BJP leader Nupur Sharma made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad, Iran summoned the Indian ambassador to express its objections. Despite this, the then Iranian Foreign Minister, Hussein Amir Abdullahian, soon visited Delhi.

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Raisi, Abdullahian die in air crash

In April 2024, during Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s first visit to Pakistan, the Kashmir issue was included in the joint statement issued by both countries. The statement expressed that both nations agreed the Kashmir dispute should be resolved peacefully in line with the wishes of the people in the region. India objected to this inclusion and raised the matter with Iranian authorities.

Additionally, both Ibrahim Raisi and Hussein Amir Abdullahian tragically died in an air crash this year.

 

India, Iran maintain strong trade relations

5 Reasons Chabahar Port Counters China’s Gwadar India and Iran have enjoyed friendly relations over the years. On January 14-15 of this year, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Iran. Following the death of Ibrahim Raisi, when Masoud Pezeshkian was inaugurated as the new President of Iran on July 30, Indian Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari represented India at the ceremony.

Despite international sanctions on Iran due to its nuclear programs, India remains one of Iran’s top five trading partners. India exports products such as rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, and artificial jewelry to Iran, while importing items like dry fruits, chemicals (both inorganic and organic), and glassware from Iran.

In May of this year, India and Iran signed a significant agreement allowing India to operate the Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar for the next 10 years. Shahid Beheshti is Iran’s second most important port. This agreement builds on a 2003 pact for the development of a port in Chabahar, a coastal city in Iran.

 

Chabahar Port counters China’s Gwadar influence

5 Reasons Chabahar Port Counters China’s Gwadar In 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a visit to Iran, marking the first visit by an Indian PM to Iran in 15 years. During that visit, a key agreement was approved.

By 2019, the port began handling goods from Afghanistan to India, circumventing Pakistan for the first time. However, in 2020, there were reports suggesting that India might be excluded from a project involving the port.

The Chabahar Port is crucial for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and holds strategic significance for India. It can serve as a counter to China’s influence in the Arabian Sea, particularly given China’s development of Gwadar Port in Pakistan. Gwadar is only 400 km from Chabahar Port by road and just 100 km by sea, creating a competitive dynamic between the two ports.

Strategically, China’s presence at Gwadar Port could pose challenges for India, making India’s engagement with Chabahar Port advantageous for countering Chinese influence in the region.

Previously, India had to rely on Pakistan’s road route to transport food grains to Afghanistan. The development of Chabahar Port provides India with a new access route to a significant market for oil and gas.