The European Union will continue its cooperation with Iran in the transportation sector, deputy director general of the European Commission’s Mobility and Transportation Department said.
Maja Bakran Marcich made the statement on Monday at "The Workshop on Ports, Maritime and Logistics", a two-day event hosted in Tehran with the collaboration of Ports and Maritime Organization and the European Union.
The European official recalled that in 2016 a delegation from the EU headed by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini visited Iran, saying "valuable agreements" were made in the fields of urban and air transportation.
Bakran noted that the EU wants to seize the opportunity in attending the forum and continues to walk the path of cooperation agreed about two years ago.
“At present, the concepts of logistics, intermodal transportation and value-added services in the field are defined and interpreted in various ways by PMO and by each of the Iranian ports. Through this forum, we want to arrive at a unified understanding and interpretation, and be able to use a common terminology shared by all bodies involved. In this respect, we are seeking the assistance of Europeans,” PMO official, Mohammad Ali Asl-Saeedipour, was quoted as saying ahead of the event.
"We want to see what the full potential of our ports are and how European experts can help us make better use of our logistic and multimodal transportation capacities," he added.
Iran has condemned the imposition of unilateral sanctions on its maritime fleet as a measure that violates international law and endangers world security, calling on IMO to conduct a “special review” of the issue at its assembly.
No Sanctions-Related Impact on Marine Transport
No foreign port has announced sanctions against Iranian counterparts and vessels so far, an official at Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization said, stressing that Iranian ships can weather the new round of sanctions.
Hadi Haqshenas believes that the unruly nature of new sanctions and lack of international support for US measures ease the path for Iranian vessels to survive the ongoing conditions.
“At present, Iran is facing no legal restriction in marine transportation,” he told ILNA.
Referring to the US administration’s threats against countries that keep doing business with Iran, he said, “Certain countries might prefer to cut ties with Iran … But there is no legal obligation forcing them to do so."
The administration of US President Donald Trump has unleashed the full extent of its new sanctions on Iran, targeting 50 banks and their subsidiaries, the national airline and 200 members of the shipping industry and vessels.
The US warned all ports and insurance companies last week to steer clear of Iranian ships.
In return, Tehran has lodged a complaint with the International Maritime Organization against the US over the reimposition of sanctions that has targeted scores of Iranian ships.
Iran has condemned the imposition of unilateral sanctions on its maritime fleet as a measure that violates international law and endangers world security, calling on IMO to conduct a “special review” of the issue at its assembly.
Latest statistics released by local port authorities indicate a significant decline in Iranian ports’ operations.
Container operations in Iranian ports registered a 26% downturn from March 21 to Nov. 12 compared with last year's corresponding period.
Haqshenas blames the fall in Iran's foreign trade for the decline in ports’ operations rather than any sanctions-related measure taken by foreigners.
The United States exempted Iran's port of Chabahar from new sanctions, allowing India to develop the strategic hub, citing the need for it to act as a connection between Afghanistan and India for the sake of boosting the war-torn economy of the former (ironically invaded by US forces since 2001).
Under the current circumstances, Iran is now planning to redirect 20% of container traffic from its major ports to Chabahar.
