Iran turns to Pakistan land corridor as US naval pressure disrupts Gulf trade

AI Summary

Iran is utilizing new land corridors through Pakistan to circumvent US naval pressure in the Gulf and maintain trade access to Central Asia. The initiative comes as US sanctions disrupt maritime routes, highlighting Iran's attempts to stabilize its economy under challenging conditions.

Iran turns to Pakistan land corridor as US naval pressure disrupts Gulf trade MEE correspondent on Thu, 05/14/2026 - 15:00 New trade corridors with Pakistan are opening alternative trade access with Central Asia and helping the Islamic Republic bypass the US naval blockade Iranian cargo trucks cross into the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan, Balochistan province on 18 June 2025 (Banaras Khan/AFP) Off As US naval pressure disrupts Iran's access to the Arabian Gulf, Tehran is turning east. New overland trade routes with Pakistan are allowing goods destined for the Islamic Republic to bypass a US blockade now entering its fifth week, preserving Iran's access to regional markets and potentially opening a new commercial pathway towards Central Asia. Last month, Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce issued a dry, technical and easy-to-miss regulatory order known as SRO 691, which designated six transit routes for cargo arriving in Iran from third countries through Pakistani territory. Reviving a project that had remained dormant for nearly two decades, the Pakistani government said the six corridors will connect Pakistan's ports of Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar with the Iranian border crossings of Gabd and Taftan through Balochistan.  The shortest route, linking Gwadar to Gabd, would place the Iranian border within a two-to-three-hour drive, compared with up to 18 hours from Karachi. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The announcement, which offered much-needed reprieves for both Pakistan and Iran, came days after a second round of US-Iran negotiations collapsed and as American naval pressure on Iranian ports severely disrupted maritime trade.  Reports indicated that thousands of containers bound for Iran were stranded at Karachi port, while war-risk insurance premiums near the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf surged, prompting many shipping operators to halt Iran-bound cargo. "Iran can benefit from these corridors," Fatemeh Aman, an independent analyst specialising in Iran and South Asia, told Middle East Eye. "The Islamic Republic can reduce some dependence on vulnerable maritime routes and maintain limited regional trade under sanctions and regional tensions." No longer a dormant project The legal basis for the corridor dates back to a bilateral road transport agreement signed by Iran and Pakistan in 2008 that was left dormant for years. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); According to Pakistani media reports, one reason for the delay was Tehran's concern that activating the Pakistani route could strengthen Gwadar port at the expense of Chabahar, Iran's own deep-water port on the Gulf of Oman developed with Indian support. 'The routes through Pakistan may not fundamentally change Iran's economy, but they can... help reduce the pressure caused by sanctions and maritime restrictions' - Mostafa Modabber, South Asia analyst That calculation, however, changed following the US-Israeli war and subsequent blockade. After Chabahar also became affected by instability linked to the conflict, Iranian officials quietly signalled support for reviving the land corridor.  The timing of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's visit to Islamabad where he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir as the corridor was announced underscored the urgency behind the project. But the corridor's significance extends beyond access to Iran itself. Once cargo crosses into Iran through Gabd-Rimdan, it can move northwards through Iran’s road network toward Central Asia.  Pakistani customs officials say trial shipments, including refrigerated meat cargo bound for Uzbekistan, have already moved through the route. Mostafa Modabber, a South Asia analyst, told MEE that "the routes through Pakistan may not fundamentally change Iran's economy, but they can help Tehran preserve trade flows, maintain indirect access to regional markets and reduce part of the pressure caused by sanctions and maritime restrictions." Bypassing maritime pressure The corridor highlights the limits of a maritime blockade. A US naval blockade imposed on 13 April targeted vessels seeking to reach Iranian ports. But goods arriving at Pakistani ports from China and other countries can be unloaded outside Iranian jurisdiction and transported overland by truck into Iran, avoiding both Iranian shipping lanes and the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have acknowledged that Tehran is increasingly relying on land routes through Pakistan, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the Caspian Sea, to maintain imports. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The arrangement also operates in legally ambiguous territory. Pakistan does not formally enforce US sanctions on Iran, while parts of the sanctions framework still permit some non-US trade with Iran provided sanctioned entities are avoided. How the war on Iran is rewriting regional trade routes