Key Developments
- Pakistan formally authorizes the transit of Iranian goods through its ports and territory.
- New routes activate dormant 2008 Pakistan-Iran transport agreement amid US maritime pressure.
- Corridor marks strategic shift away from UAE-based trade routes previously relied upon by Iran.
Pakistan Opens Strategic Transit Routes
Pakistan has officially authorized the transit of goods into Iran through Pakistani territory and ports, according to Tasnim News Agency.
The move positions Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar as key logistical gateways for Iranian trade at a time when Washington continues efforts to tighten maritime pressure on Tehran.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce issued the ‘Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026’ on April 25, putting the arrangement into immediate effect.
The order activates a bilateral road transport agreement signed between Tehran and Islamabad in 2008 that had never previously been operationalized.
Six New Trade Routes
The agreement establishes six overland transit corridors linking Pakistan’s three major ports to the Iranian border crossings at Gabd and Taftan through Balochistan.
The announcement coincided with the visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad for talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistani officials said the Gwadar-Gabd corridor would reduce travel time to the Iranian border to between two and three hours while cutting transportation costs by up to 55 percent compared with routes through Karachi.
Shift Away from UAE-Centered Trade Networks
The development also signals a major shift away from the Gulf trade infrastructure Iran had long relied upon, particularly through Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates.
For years, UAE ports served as critical hubs for Iranian commercial access and regional re-export operations.
The new Pakistan-Iran corridor offers Tehran an alternative route less exposed to maritime restrictions and Gulf-based pressure.
According to industry figures cited in the report, Karachi has already handled approximately 75 percent of cargo redirected toward Pakistan since the war began.
Gwadar — operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor — is located only around 170 kilometers from Iran’s Chabahar port.
Part of Broader Regional Integration
Tasnim described the corridor as more than a wartime logistical adjustment.
The report framed the arrangement as part of a broader strategic network linking South Asia to Eurasia through China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The corridor also aligns with Beijing’s long-term efforts to reduce dependence on the Strait of Malacca by creating alternative energy and trade routes through Pakistan into western China.
US Blockade and Iranian Warnings
The agreement comes amid ongoing US maritime pressure operations targeting Iran.
US President Donald Trump announced a maritime blockade against Iran on April 13, with US naval forces reportedly intercepting vessels near Iranian waters.
Iranian officials have warned that continuation of the blockade risks undermining negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
A senior Iranian security source told Press TV that continued US “maritime piracy and bullying” would eventually face an “unprecedented and tangible military response.”
(PC, Tasnim, Al Mayadeen, Press TV) https://www.palestinechronicle.com/iran-shifts-from-uae-trade-routes-as-pakistan-opens-transit-corridor/
