SATISH SHARMA - not just Rotigraphy.: 🇮🇷 UAE sabotaging Iran’s bid to become regional trade corridor, Iran-Pakistan chamber says

 UAE sabotaging Iran’s bid to become regional trade corridor, Iran-Pakistan chamber says

The Iran-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, a private bilateral trade body representing Iranian and Pakistani business interests has accused the United Arab Emirates of actively obstructing Iran’s integration into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to Fars News, in a bid to prevent Gwadar port from becoming a rival to Dubai.

CPEC, a 15-year, $62 billion Chinese-Pakistani infrastructure project launched in 2015, connects Pakistan’s provinces of Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber to Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea. Iran is seeking rail connectivity between Chabahar, Zahedan, and Mirjaveh to link into the corridor — a route that would position Iran as a strategic hub for trade between China, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.

The chamber noted that CPEC has progressed slowly, with Iran’s planned rail link reaching only 50 to 60 percent completion by 2026, partly due to what it described as obstruction by Gulf states. The project is expected to be completed by 2030.

Drop Site News reported last week that the slowdown extends beyond Gulf obstruction. Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir — now serving as Trump’s primary Iran war mediator — has deliberately allowed CPEC to stall as part of a broader realignment toward Washington. Of roughly 90 projects originally envisioned, only 38 have been completed, with no flagship project added to the pipeline since 2022. Iran’s corridor ambitions are caught between UAE economic interests protecting Dubai’s dominance and a Pakistani military leadership choosing Washington over Beijing.