Naval blockade opens ...
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Unfortunately, before this war, Iran did not make use of its road and rail capacities to the extent it could have. The war prompted greater attention to these routes so that they could be used as a complement to maritime transport.
Naturally, they cannot fully replace maritime routes, but they can provide significant support. For example, goods that are essential for the country, such as basic commodities, food products or sensitive goods that are essential for production, such as machinery, can be transported through these routes. This is already happening.
Three to four train sets are now arriving from China every day. Cargo is also being transported by truck, while shipments are coming from Turkey and Pakistan. Even through southern routes, cargo is arriving from the ports of neighboring countries along the southern coast. However, the shipments coming through these routes are generally made up of goods for which there is a particularly high level of demand.
What opportunities can the development of regional transport corridors create for Iran? Can Iran make use of its geographical position to strengthen trade with neighboring countries, Central Asia, Russia, China and other Asian markets?
A corridor is not merely an economic or trade issue. Two other dimensions also need to be taken into account. One is the sustainability of routes, and the other is the resilience of trade.
Regardless of the fact that cargo needs to be delivered to a particular destination, what matters is that the route remains continuous and sustainable. A trader may put in a great deal of effort to market products and find a market in Europe, for example. If the cargo arrives late, the route is disrupted or there is an interruption in the flow of goods, that customer will be lost.
Therefore, sustainability is now important, while trade resilience is also crucial. From this perspective, security considerations and non-economic risks must also be minimized.
Thus, these corridors not only provide highly reliable support for trade, but can also make a significant contribution to a country’s security and resilience and to strengthening its economy. They provide greater depth, create new jobs and open up new trade opportunities in areas such as cargo transportation and logistics.
Therefore, looking at corridors solely from a trade perspective is not enough.
What infrastructure and reforms should be prioritized to increase the share of road and rail transport in foreign trade, particularly in terms of border capacity, customs, rail lines, northern ports and coordination among relevant agencies?
If I were to put it in very academic terms, there are six items that need to be taken into consideration.
The first is infrastructure, which I do not think requires much explanation.
The second concerns processes. At sea, because these processes have been established and defined over a long period of time, they are relatively clear. But in the rail and road sectors, those processes have not yet been fully streamlined.
The third issue is inspection and inspection equipment, which requires considerable attention. There are currently significant shortcomings in this area.
The fourth concerns intergovernmental diplomacy. After all, cargo is moving from one country’s jurisdiction into another country’s jurisdiction, unlike maritime transport. Therefore, diplomacy needs to be highly active and serious.
The fifth issue is continuity and precision in managing the flow of work. There needs to be oversight to ensure that the flow of goods continues and remains uninterrupted.
The sixth concerns governance at border terminals, which has come to be referred to as unified management. Effective and proper governance needs to be established at these borders.
Can current circumstances provide an opportunity to redesign and diversify Iran’s foreign trade network?
Certainly. In my view, although war is not a good thing, and although sanctions and a blockade genuinely put pressure on the economy and distress the people, the reality is that, if the situation is viewed from another perspective, it is defining new opportunities and revealing new capabilities for Iran.
It seems that this is how the situation can be viewed, and these opportunities can be seized.