Transit

China has invested in the Gwadar port in Pakistan to create an economic corridor with the aim of connecting China to Central Asia through the Indian Ocean. This program is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including several roads, sea routes, and corridors. On the other hand, India, a regional rival to China, is keen to invest in the port of Chabahar in the I.R. Iran to create the International North-South corridor, which can connect India to Central Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and Northern Europe through the Indian Ocean. According to these significant facts, two critical questions will be discussed in the present study: the first question investigates whether Indo-Chinese competition makes Chabahar and Gwadar rival ports, and the second question examines whether it would be possible for China to investigate in Chabahar as an alternative corridor. To address these questions, the present study hypothesizes that Chabahar can be an international port, fulfilling the interests of all parties, including China. This study is a qualitative research, based on the International Order theory by Hadley Bull, using the SWOT analysis in order to address the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of Iran-China bilateral relations in Chabahar for both sides. For collecting the data, existing documents and articles, as well as in-depth interviews have been used. Results indicate that the Chabahar port, as one of the main gateways to the Iranian transit corridors, could be a common point of Interest for Iran, India and China to create a regional order, based on cooperation in transit.

This article discusses the favorable benefits of the Jask-Mashhad motorway on the regeneration of the country's eastern half while providing a new plan for its construction. This freeway, with an estimated length of 1200 kilometers, a budget of around $2 billion, and a construction time of 8 years, has the potential to significantly alter the livelihood, economics, and population of the country's eastern half. This freeway, which links the landlocked northern countries with the neighboring countries of Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia, can handle 15-20 million passengers and tourists per year, as well as 15–25 million vehicles (cars, trailers, tankers, and trucks). It is especially critical for Shanghai Cooperation members. Presently, around 2 million people reside along the course of this highway; if the freeway is completed, this number would increase to more than 4 million. Furthermore, in the 25-year view (until 1424), this freeway will play a significant role in the north-south corridor, regeneration of ports on the Oman Sea's border, and achievement of sea axis development and land development. Transportation infrastructure is a critical component of population concentration and land improvement. Freeways are one of the most significant transportation facilities, providing rapid, safe, and inexpensive road access to all sections of the country, particularly for goods transit and tourism growth. A glance at the country's freeway map reveals that there are no freeways in the eastern half of the country, and none are planned for the future by the Ministry of Roads. This issue has made land access to the eastern provinces and the beaches of the Oman Sea problematic, and as a result, significant sections of Iran are unoccupied and underused.