Did not drop India from rail project: Iran

Tehran: Iran has denied it drop­ped India from the Chabahar rail project, saying “vested interests” were behind such reports. The Ind­ian embassy in Iran stated Ambass­ador Gadd­am Dharmendra was invited by Saeed Rasouli, Dy Mini­ster Roads and Head of Iran Rail­ways, to re­vi­ew the ongoing co-op­eration on Chabahar-Zahedan rai­lway. Raso­uli stated “vested inter­ests were behind recent reports Iran exclu­ded India from Chabahar-Zahedan railway project”. Mean­while, as Tehran’s relationship with Washington remains fidgety, it is walking a tightrope in its bilateral ties with the US’s rival, China and ally, India. Despite the US curbs, which has slowed down the pace of the development of the Chaba­har port in Iran by India, Tehran and New Delhi on Sunday shipped Afghanistan’s first transit goods to China. Afghanistan’s transit cargo of dried fruit was sent from Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar to Indian port of Mundra, where it was unlo­a­ded and loaded on ano­ther ship for final destination, Tian­jin Port in China, Iranian media reported.