Iran has invited Pakistan and China to participate in the strategic Chabahar Port and said the initiative is not aimed at "strangulating" or "encircling" anybody, a media report on day quoted visiting Iranian Foreign Minister as saying. In November last year, India delivered the first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port. Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who is on a three-day visit to Islamabad, said the Chabahar port project was not meant to "encircle Pakistan ... strangulate anybody". "Our relations with India, just like Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia, are not against Islamabad as we understand Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia are not against Iran," the Iranian foreign minister said. He said Iran has also extended invitation to China to join the Chahbahar project.

Source: dna March 13, 2018 16:18 UTC