India, Iran and Uzbekistan have held their first trilateral dialogue at the level of foreign ministries, agreeing to establish a mechanism for deeper cooperation in countering extremism and terrorism, while also enabling Uzbekistan’s access to Chabahar Port for trade with India.
The meeting, hosted in Tehran on September 9, underlined the need to boost collaboration in connectivity and logistics, with particular emphasis on greater use of strategic ports and advancing the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), an official said.
Participants reviewed progress on the decisions taken during the third session of the Chabahar Working Group, held in Mumbai in November 2024, and explored measures to enhance trade links along with other areas of mutual interest.
The trilateral comes on the heels of a similar dialogue between India, Iran and Armenia, which also centered on the INSTC and Armenia’s potential access to Chabahar. Beyond Uzbekistan, Central Asian nations such as Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are weighing options to utilize the port as a gateway to expand trade with India and secure direct access to the Indian Ocean.
Meanwhile, New Delhi is pressing ahead with talks for an early harvest free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union to expand its reach into Eurasian markets and secure critical supplies, including rare earth minerals.
In a related development, Kursiv reported that Uzbek companies are set to purchase 300,000 tons of Iranian steel this year and are considering hosting Iranian-built plants as part of expanding bilateral trade.