Pakistan has quietly redrawn a key piece of the regional trade map, and the timing is difficult to ignore. As the United States tightens its naval blockade on Iran through the Strait of Hormuz, Islamabad has opened multiple overland routes that give Tehran an alternative economic lifeline.
The move does more than ease logistics. It revives long-standing concerns about Pakistan’s reliability as a strategic partner. While projecting itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, Islamabad appears to be simultaneously enabling Iran to blunt the very pressure campaign it claims to support.
A legal framework with strategic consequences
The shift has been formalised through the Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026. This framework allows goods from third count…
The system also permits cargo transfers between transport modes under customs supervision, backed by financial guarantees to ensure compliance. On paper, it is a logistical upgrade. In practice, it offers Iran a way around maritime restrictions.
A timely relief valve for Iran
The corridors arrive at a critical moment for Tehran.
The US blockade, in force since April 13, has targeted vessels linked to Iranian ports in an effort to choke off trade. President Donald Trump has said that “Iran is …
At the same time, thousands of containers bound for Iran have been stranded at Pakistani ports as maritime routes became riskier. The new land links provide an immediate workaround, allowing goods to continue moving despite the blockade.
This directly weakens Washington’s strategy of isolating Iran through control of a critical sea chokepoint.
Analysts flag a ‘double game’
The development has triggered sharp reactions from observers.
US-based national security expert Derek J Grossman wrote, …
Geopolitical analyst Himanshu Jain described the move as a direct breach of US strategy. “Pakistan just punched a formal hole in the blockade,” he wrote.
In a detailed thread, Jain added, “Three capitals. One day. Washington sanctions. Palm Beach cancels. Islamabad opens corridors. Pakistan took $8B+ Saudi cash, hosted back-channels, then legally enabled transit to Iran. Field Marshal Asim Munir running the show.”
