Iran Says Reports Of Chabahar Land Deal With Afghanistan Were A 'Misunderstanding'

(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Iran has rejected reports that it plans to hand over 110 hectares of territory at the port of Chabahar to Afghanistan, describing the claims as a misunderstanding of remarks made by an Iranian lawmaker. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that transferring Iranian territory to another country was not possible and that the proposal had not been formally presented.

Baghaei said the issue of leasing land to Afghanistan had been raised informally on the sidelines of an official meeting during an Iranian minister's visit to Afghanistan. Tehran had said it would examine the matter, he added, rejecting claims that Iran had agreed to transfer its territory or sovereignty.

The clarification followed remarks by Mohsen Zanganeh, head of the Iranian parliament's Special Commission for Supporting Production, who said last week that a preliminary understanding had been reached with Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration to allocate land at Chabahar for Afghan commercial and investment activities. He described a proposed allocation of about 10 hectares along the port's coast and more than 100 hectares within its special economic zone. The arrangement, he said, was intended to help Afghanistan develop trade infrastructure and improve access to international waters.

Zanganeh's initial comments sparked criticism in Iran, with some interpreting the proposed arrangement as a transfer of Iranian territory. He later clarified that the plan concerned investment and the development of facilities such as a dry port, not the transfer of ownership or sovereignty. No final agreement had been reached, according to his subsequent explanation.

Chabahar, Iran's only oceanic port, is an important potential trade route for landlocked Afghanistan, offering an alternative to routes through Pakistan. Tehran and Kabul have discussed expanding industrial cooperation and increasing bilateral trade, while the proposed land arrangement has highlighted the distinction between granting space for commercial investment and transferring territorial sovereignty.

MENAFN13102026000228011069ID1111800875