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

Iran turns to Pakistan land corridor as US naval pressure disrupts Gulf trade Submitted by 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. 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 boun...

Original source: Middle East Eye