Iran is increasingly relying on new land trade routes through Pakistan to maintain supply lines amid a U.S. naval blockade that has disrupted maritime commerce. Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce recently issued policy SRO 691, designating six transit corridors linking Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar ports to Iran’s Gabd and Taftan border crossings. The initiative revives a long-dormant project and provides both nations with a long-awaited relief as thousands of Iran-bound containers remain stranded at Karachi port.

The corridors are based on a 2008 bilateral road transport agreement between Iran and Pakistan that had remained inactive for years. Experts cited in the report said the routes could reduce Iran’s dependence on risky sea lanes and help sustain limited regional trade despite sanctions and tensions. Test shipments, including frozen meat bound for Uzbekistan, have already used these routes, showing potential for broader regional connectivity.

Analysts noted that while the corridors may not fundamentally transform Iran’s economy, they could ease pressure from sanctions and maritime restrictions by enabling overland cargo movement from Pakistan to Iran and onward to Central Asia.