India and Iran are together, according to Iranian media, on Monday, the two countries signed a cooperation agreement in Tehran, specifically for India to obtain the right to develop and operate the Iranian Chabahar port for up to 10 years, but New Delhi also paid a price of 370 million US dollars. According to public information, as early as 8 years ago, India and Iran were in contact to obtain the development and operation rights of the Chabahar port, and the two sides almost negotiated at that time, but later because of the US sanctions on Iran, India was forced by the United States to terminate the plan. Although the project was temporarily suspended, India's interest in the port has not diminished in the slightest, and India and Iran have been in contact privately.
So what kind of magic does Chabahar port have that India has been obsessed with for so many years and finally got into the bag? The reason is actually very simple, the strategic location of this port is too important, and India has taken a fancy to it. From the map, Chabahar Port is located in the south of Iran, not far from the Gulf of Oman, and is located at the confluence of South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia and the Indian Ocean. According to the Indian media, the reason why New Delhi wants to win the right to develop and operate this port is mainly due to two considerations, one is to solve the problem of India's tight oil supply, and the other is to "counter China".
In recent years, India's economic development has been very fast, and the demand for oil has also risen, but India's own oil reserves are seriously insufficient, and oil supply can only rely on imports. At present, India imports some oil from the Middle East and the other from Russia. Among them, this part of the oil imported from Russia is taken by sea route, the transportation distance is very long, and the cost is very high. Moreover, the sea route is susceptible to weather, piracy and other risks, and is not too stable, so India hopes to import Russian oil through the land channel. Indian media reported that New Delhi wants to use the Chabahar port to establish an oil import route from India to Russia through Iran, which can ease the tight situation of India's oil supply.
As for "countering China", it is actually aimed at the Gwadar port developed by China and Pakistan. Chabahar Port is more than 100 kilometers away from Gwadar Port, and the area of the two ports is similar, but under the development of China, Gwadar Port has now become a large port in the region, and it has also driven the economic development of Pakistan. In New Delhi's view, the rise of Gwadar port not only solves the problem of Pakistan's economic development to a certain extent, but also a major victory for China's foreign strategy, and China must not be allowed to use Gwadar port as a "springboard" to develop its power into the Indian Ocean, so India must prevent the rise of Gwadar port.
By winning the right to develop and operate the Chabahar port, India is obviously using the port to snatch business from the Gwadar port. New Delhi and the Indian media have been complacent about this operation, claiming that it can compete with the Gwadar port and influence China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative. However, I would like to say that Modi should not be too happy too soon, things are not as simple as India thinks. Even if the port can compete with the Gwadar port, it will have to be discussed until it is fully developed and operated. With the level of infrastructure in India, it is even more difficult to develop and operate the Chabahar port well than to ascend to the sky, and there is a high probability that it will be smashed in your hands again.