Bandar Abbas port explosion knocks Iran out of trade game - expert 

ArmInfo.  The explosion in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas has temporarily knocked Iran out of the trade game, and has hit not only Tehran, political scientist Vahe Davtyan is sure.

The expert noted that while the world press is focusing on the top -  the number of victims, destruction, chemicals - something much more  important remains in the shadows: the key junction of the  international transport corridor "North-South" has gone up in the  air.

"The very route that Russia is actively promoting as an alternative  to the Suez Canal. The very one that is supposed to connect St.  Petersburg with Mumbai via Iranian ports. The port in Bandar Abbas is  not just a warehouse and a berth. It is a geopolitical asset that  handles tens of millions of tons of cargo per year.  Containers, oil,  equipment, and grain go through it. This is where flows from Russia  to India were supposed to flow - faster, cheaper, and bypassing the  West. And now this route is under threat. An accident? Negligence? Or  a signal," the Armenian political scientist asked.

Davtyan noted that official Tehran, touching on the causes of the  explosion, talks about non-observance of safety regulations during  storage of ammonium perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel. "A  convenient version. Especially against the backdrop of the recent  missile exchange with Israel. But behind the scenes, other versions  are already being voiced. The explosion, in fact, temporarily knocked  Iran out of the trade game. The suspension of the port's work is  already hitting exports and petrochemicals. And considering that  military components are stored on site, it is possible that this was  "not an accident." And here is Russia.  Moscow is betting on the  "North-South" as an artery of the future: to transport goods to  India, bring spices, rice, tea, pharmaceuticals and equipment. To  escape from the oil dictate of China. To play the Great Game.  Iran  is the key. Bandar Abbas is the castle. Was it blown up for no  reason? Or to remind - the castle can be fragile," the political  scientist continued.

The Armenian expert is sure that this is not just an incident. "This  is a litmus test. If the port is not followed by reforms, protection,  international audit and real investments, the entire North-South  corridor will hang by a thread. And if they do, it means that both  Moscow and Tehran have seriously decided to play the long game,"  Davtyan summed up in his Telegram channel.

Earlier, it became known from the media that a strong explosion  occurred in the Shahid Rajaee port in the city of Bandar Abbas in  southern Iran on the morning of April 26. According to preliminary  data, 25 people were killed and several hundred were injured.  Information is circulating in the media that containers with  components for the production of rocket fuel exploded.