Investing in Tunnel, Iran Nurtures Ambitions in Tajikistan

Iranian Road and Transportation Minister Ahmed Khorram recently promised over $31 million in loans and grants to Tajikistan to complete the five-kilometer Anzab Tunnel. The tunnel promises to connect Tajikistan's capital with its second city, Khujand, while bypassing an existing route via Uzbekistan. The project is part of a broader Iranian regional transport blueprint, in which Tajikistan plays a central role in a transit route linking China to the Persian Gulf.

On July 14, Khorram pledged that Iran would help oversee the completion of the Anzab tunnel by 2006. "We hope that the tunnel will be constructed earlier than the three years stipulated in the agreement and plans," Khorram said.

He also encouraged the idea that Iran might invest in Tajikistan's stalled Sangtuda power plant. [For background, see the Eurasia Insight archives]. But his most ambitious idea, carrying a price tag of $180 million, involved construction of "a road that will connect Tajikistan to Iran and the Persian Gulf through Afghanistan."

"The road which would run from Iran through Herat [western Afghanistan], Mazar-i-Sharif [northern Afghanistan] and Sherkhan Bandar [northern Afghanistan] to Tajikistan and from there up to China: this is a real Silk Road. A direction and a corridor of the Silk Road," Khorram said.

Promising that his government would invest in transport energy and water projects, Khorram raised fresh commercial possibilities for landlocked Tajikistan. While the Anzab Tunnel could help stimulate commerce within Tajikistan, an international highway could, in Khorram's phrase, "undoubtedly boost the [international] economic situation in Tajikistan."

Iran has taken a keen interest in regional road building. [For background, see the Eurasia Insight archives]. Beyond pursuing a north-south corridor that could link its cities to Russia, Iran has pressed ahead to build a highway into Afghanistan. A third phase of this highway, beginning at the Afghan border in Zabol, reportedly began on July 14, according to Iran's official news agency. The presidents of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan met in Tehran from June 16-18 to discuss road construction possibilities.

A road through Afghanistan to Central Asia would serve Iran's strategic purposes nicely. Since the Soviet collapse, Iran has vied with Turkey for commercial influence in Central Asia. Some experts believe that Iran considers Turkey's relative prominence in the Caucasus and Central Asian markets an embarrassment and sees road building as a means to enhance Tehran's economic profile in the region. [For background, see the Eurasia Insight archives]. Promoting links between Iran and Central Asia would also serve a geopolitical purpose for Tehran, helping to alleviate concerns about strategic encirclement by the United States.

Tajikistan's public and officials, while certainly receptive to Iran's regional vision to improve trade links, reserve most of their enthusiasm for the Anzab Tunnel project. Construction of the five-kilometer tunnel started during the Soviet era, but economic difficulties over the last decade-plus has postponed completion.

The lack of a direct link between northern and southern Tajikistan has often led to disruptions of commerce. Uzbek authorities sometimes close the border for days without notice, creating traffic chaos. Uzbekistan has also required a transit visa since January 2001, hampering travel for Tajiks travelling from one part of their homeland to another.

Tajik President Imomali Rahmonov described Iran's offer of assistance to complete the Anzab project as "fraternal and friendly." Tajikistan and Iran enjoy close cultural ties, as Tajiks speak a variety of Farsi. A shared tradition has helped foster close political and economic links. The two countries have held four meetings of a joint economic commission. During the most recent meeting, in April 2002, they both endorsed the idea of a free trade zone.