Amid attacks by Israel and the United States, Iran has unveiled a new transcontinental trade route to China in line with one of the central pillars of Iranian foreign policy: to position Iran at the center of shifting and growing Eurasian connectivity.
Traditionally, the Persian Gulf has been critical to Iranian trade. The more recent push to develop land routes to Central Asia aims to diversify commercial links and boost cooperation with a booming area of economic growth.
These land routes have become increasingly important as the region redefines itself as a major node in transcontinental trade, between Russia and Afghanistan, as well as between China and the European Union. Major powers have all established separate summit formats with the five Central Asian states and seek trade and investment opportunities with them. In the past, Central Asia was not at the epicenter of Iran’s foreign policy, yet this might be changing given the region’s growing economic and transit potential.
Read more at the Stimson Center.