By Sanjay Kapoor

The proposal to build a new transport corridor, known as IMEC - India Middle East Europe Corridor - was initially signed by 10 countries during the G20 summit in Delhi. However, it faced strong opposition from Turkey, Iran, and Egypt. These countries criticised the project for undermining the strategic significance of the Bosporus Strait, Chabahar Port, and Suez Canal, respectively. According to Iranian sources, this backlash has led to the abandonment of the project.

However, another parallel sea and land route, responding to the war in Gaza, originating from India’s Mundra to Israel’s Haifa, has emerged that bypasses the restive Red Sea. The big question is whether it will shape the India Middle East Europe Corridor or disappear after the ceasefire is announced in Gaza.

Iran’s most conservative newspaper, Kayhan, reported in its editorial on April 17 that the IMEC commercial corridor has been abandoned following the October 7 attack by Gaza. Kayhan highlighted that the primary goal of IMEC was to establish a commercial route connecting India to Israel and then onward to Europe, passing through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. The newspaper noted that one of the key motivations behind creating this corridor was to provide competition to the Chabahar port.

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