Philip wrote: Therefore,an action plan/policy from which we must not deviate under any circumstances, must be ensured so that Iran stays on our side and allows us to trade with Central Asia through its land/sea corridor.
Philip wrote:Iran is gradually getting p*ssed off with India,
Philip wrote:Iran is gradually getting p*ssed off with India,whose diplomacy is like that of a drunk trying to walk on a straight line.One day we;re all gung-ho about Chahbahar,then its progress crawls,we buy less oil from Iran tx to US pressure,etc.
The one-sided Indian romance with Iran over some imaginary civilisational and cultural ties is not only misguided but dangerous.We might be falling into a trap by investing billions of dollars into a country that is not ready to give concrete assurances and has been playing on all sides.
Iran, as an Islamic state, has completed a full transition and the only civilisation it sees itself as part of is Islamic. Khamenei’s statement should make it amply clear to any woolly eyed Indian that Iran is an Islamic state and proud of it. Whenever it points to its Persian history, it is only to differentiate itself from the Arabs. This is not due to any love for its past but because of its competition to be the leader of the Islamic world – another thing that Khamenei’s statement pointed to.
All major Indian projects in Iran face hard negotiations, heartburn or, worse, disillusionment. Farzad B gas field is a classic example. Discovered by a consortium of Indian companies, Iran initially agreed to give drilling rights to India. But the on-again, off-again sanctions on Iran led to bickering between both the sides on the issue. Recently, news emerged that the Iranians had signed an initial agreement with Russian giant Gazprom for the gas field.
Iran continues to maintain strict neutrality between India and Pakistan. And if we go by Khamenei’s statement, it has in fact chosen the Pakistani side. The ‘neutrality’ of Iran is evident in more places than one.
The hyped Chabahar port in Iran being developed by India is sold by New Delhi as an achievement of Indo-Iranian friendship. It is actually more of an achievement for Tehran to get New Delhi to foot the bill for developing a port in the country. On its part, Tehran has made it clear that the port is not exclusive to India. It has invited participation and investment from China and Pakistan. As far as the strategic value of the port is concerned, every Indian shipment into or out of Chabahar port will be scanned by Iranian guards. When India tried to ship dynamite sticks to Afghanistan via Iran to help in the construction of Salma dam there, Iranians refused to comply. Under these circumstances, to expect Iran to help Indian strategic interests either in Afghanistan or anywhere else is completely imaginary.
JE Menon wrote:Based on DrRatnadip's link it is now clear that he mentioned it a second time. If the Iranians wish to pursue this, they will learn that they are making a gross error of judgement. Trump may yet go back on the sanctions lifting. They will need friends either way.
srin wrote:Possible that Chinese have offered better terms on Chabahar, and they want to get rid of us. Don't see any other point to this shooting themselves in the foot.
chetak wrote:srin wrote:Possible that Chinese have offered better terms on Chabahar, and they want to get rid of us. Don't see any other point to this shooting themselves in the foot.
they are muslims and will take money from both sides. We are the foolish ones who have romanticized the whole business of "centuries old ties and ancient friendships"
.....They have never taken our side in any international fora.
Khaf-Herat railway to open within weeks
TEHRAN, Jul. 20 (MNA) – A senior official in Islamic Republic of Iran Railways said the railway from Khaf in Iran to Herat in Afghanistan will become operational in three weeks.
Director General of the Organization for International Affairs at the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Abbas Nazari said, given its significance to Iran and India, the railway will come on stream before it completely reaches Herat.
He went on to add that Iran had already constructed the trach from Khaf to Shematigh border inside Iran, which was previously inaugurated by the Iranian minister of roads and urban planning; “meanwhile, 30 kilometers of the total 64 kilometers connecting the border point to Herat will become operation in the coming three weeks.”
Iran’s first consignment to be exported to Afghanistan consists of cement though other products like gasoline and gas oil will also be carried to the neighboring country via the new route. Nazari estimated that Iran’s exports to Afghanistan through the railroad will reach five million tons per year.
Toughing upon the significance of the railway for India, he underlined hat opening of Khaf-Herat railway will benefit Indians since they are a major exporter of a variety of products to Afghanistan; “Indian vessels, upon unloading shipments in Bandar Abbas, will transfer cargo or bulk containers to Khaf via Bandar Abbas-Bafgh railroad and later to Afghanistan through the new path.”
HA/4035746
Mehr News
For China’s global ambitions, ‘Iran is at the centre of everything’
Thomas Erdbrink NEYSHABUR, JULY 26, 2017 00:00 IST
UPDATED: JULY 26, 2017 03:39 IST
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TH26ChinaIranG3J25OVS03jpgjpg
Drivers of change:Chinese entrepreneur Zuao Ru Lin, centre, at one of his plants, which recycles paper, in Neyshabur, Iran.NYT
The west Asian country, historically a crossroads, is strategically crucial to Beijing’s plans to increase its footprint across the world using the ‘One Belt, One Road’ project
When Zuao Ru Lin, a Beijing entrepreneur, first heard about business opportunities in eastern Iran, he was sceptical. But then he bought a map and began to envision the region without any borders, as one enormous market.
“Many countries are close by, even Europe,” Mr. Lin, 49, said while driving his white BMW over the highway connecting Tehran to the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad recently. “Iran is at the centre of everything.”
For millennia, Iran has prospered as a trading hub linking East and West. Now, that role is set to expand in coming years as China unspools its ‘One Belt, One Road’ project, which promises more than $1 trillion in infrastructure investment — bridges, rails, ports and energy — in over 60 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa.
Iran, historically a crossroads, is strategically at the centre of those plans.
Like pieces of a sprawling geopolitical puzzle, components of China’s infrastructure network are being put in place. In eastern Iran, Chinese workers are busily modernising one of the country’s major rail routes, standardising gauge sizes, improving the track bed and rebuilding bridges, with the ultimate goal of connecting Tehran to Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Much the same is happening in western Iran, where railroad crews are working to link the capital to Turkey and, eventually, to Europe. Other rail projects will connect Tehran and Mashhad with deepwater ports in the country’s south.
Once dependent on Beijing during the years of international isolation imposed by the West for its nuclear program, Iran is now critical to China’s ability to realise its grandiose ambitions. Other routes to Western markets are longer and lead through Russia, potentially a competitor of China.
“It is not as if their project is cancelled if we don’t participate,” said Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan, Iranian deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development. “But if they want to save time and money, they will choose the shortest route.”
He added with a smile: “There are also political advantages to Iran, compared to Russia. They are highly interested in working with us.”
Biggest trading partner
Others worry that with the large-scale Chinese investment and China’s growing presence in the Iranian economy, Tehran will become more dependent than ever on China, already its biggest trading partner.
China is also an important market for Iranian oil, and because of remaining unilateral U.S. sanctions that intimidate global banks, it is the only source of the large amounts of capital Iran needs to finance critical infrastructure projects. But that, apparently, is a risk the leadership is prepared to take.
“China is dominating Iran,” said Mehdi Taghavi, an economics professor at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, adding that the “Iranian authorities do not see any drawbacks to being dependent on China. Together, we are moving ahead.” It is not just roads and rail lines that Iran is getting from China. Iran is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for Chinese entrepreneurs like Mr. Lin.
A visionary businessman
With a few words of Persian, as well as low-interest loans and tax breaks from the Chinese and Iranian governments, he has built a small empire since moving to Iran in 2002. His eight factories make a wide variety of goods that find markets in Iran and in neighbouring countries.
“You can say that I was even more visionary than some of our politicians,” Mr. Lin said with a laugh. Since 2013, when the ‘One Belt, One Road’ plan was started, he has had dozens of visitors from China and multiple meetings with the Chinese ambassador in Tehran. “I was a pioneer, and they want to hear my experiences,” he said. Mr. Lin established his factories along what will be a key part of the trade route — a 575-mile electrified rail line linking Tehran and Mashhad, financed with a $1.6 billion loan from China.
When completed and attached to the wider network, the new line will enable Mr. Lin to export his goods as far as northern Europe, Poland and Russia, at much less cost than today.
When finished, the proposed rail link will stretch nearly 2,000 miles, from Urumqi, the capital of China’s western region of Xinjiang, to Tehran. If all goes according to plan, it will connect Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, China’s state-owned paper, China Daily, wrote. Track sizes need to be adjusted and new connections made, as well as upgrades to the newest trains.
In a 2016 test, China and Iran drove a train from the port of Shanghai in eastern China to Tehran in just 12 days, a journey that takes 30 days by sea. In Iran, they used the existing track between Tehran and Mashhad, powered by a slower diesel-powered train. When the new line is opened in 2021, it is expected to accommodate electric trains at speeds up to 125 mph.
Mr. Fakhrieh-Kashan, an English speaker who oversees negotiation of most of the larger international state business deals, said the Chinese initiative would do much more than just provide a channel for transporting goods.
“Think infrastructure, city planning, cultural exchanges, commercial agreements, investments and tourism,” he said. “You can pick any project, they are all under this umbrella.”NYT
Philip wrote:Indo-Iranian relations are of the utmost importance ,as important as those with ant other major nation.IT is so strat. located,the largest Shiite nation in the world,counter to Sunni Saudi Arabia,and possesses oil,etc. ,one of our key suppliers of energy. Apart from being a neighbour of Pak ,adjoining Baluchistan (trying to break free from Pak) and Aghanistan,Iran is also being wooed massively by the Chinese. It has been the US which has time and again tried to downgrade Indo-Relations in support of Pak mainly,but India cannot allow Iran to fall into China's lap.Ck this out:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp ... 361073.eceFor China’s global ambitions, ‘Iran is at the centre of everything’
Thomas Erdbrink NEYSHABUR, JULY 26, 2017 00:00 IST
UPDATED: JULY 26, 2017 03:39 IST
Philip wrote:Godless Chins in bed with Shiite Iranians? Think again.Uncle Sam compromises whenever it suits him so should India.There are some relationships which cannot be sacrificed by India.For. example.It is only now,after decades that the US is threatening Pak with small aid cuts.India has cried itself hoarse to the US about Paki terror,but has the US listened? No way! Therefore,since the issue,China ousting India in IRan, is of such great security importance, we should look after our interests first,not that of Uncle Sam's. There are many ways of skinning a cat.Indo-Russian payments after some of their banks have US sanctions,were resolved through G-to-G sovereign guarantees. It is past time that Indian diplomacy grew some "test*cles"!
For China’s Global Ambitions, ‘Iran Is at the Center of Everything
By THOMAS ERDBRINK
JULY 25, 2017
NEYSHABUR, Iran — When Zuao Ru Lin, a Beijing entrepreneur, first heard about business opportunities in eastern Iran, he was skeptical. But then he bought a map and began to envision the region without any borders, as one enormous market.
“Many countries are close by, even Europe,” Mr. Lin, 49, said while driving his white BMW over the highway connecting Tehran to the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad recently. “Iran is at the center of everything.”
...
Like pieces of a sprawling geopolitical puzzle, components of China’s infrastructure network are being put in place. In eastern Iran, Chinese workers are busily modernizing one of the country’s major rail routes, standardizing gauge sizes, improving the track bed and rebuilding bridges, with the ultimate goal of connecting Tehran to Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
...
Much the same is happening in western Iran, where railroad crews are working to link the capital to Turkey and, eventually, to Europe. Other rail projects will connect Tehran and Mashhad with deepwater ports in the country’s south.
...
“China is dominating Iran,” said Mehdi Taghavi, an economics professor at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, adding that the “Iranian authorities do not see any drawbacks to being dependent on China. Together, we are moving ahead.”
chola wrote:
The Iranians don't mind being dominated -- as long as it "protects" them from the Americans.
These people are no different from Pakis.
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