Chabahar Free Zone
Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone is an operational free zone in Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, on Iran’s Makran coast beside the Sea of Oman and Indian Ocean. Established in 1992 and reportedly operational from 1995, it supports merchandise transit, investment attraction and associated industrial and service activity. Its strategic relevance is tied to port access and Iran’s eastern transit axis toward Afghanistan and Central Asia; the available 8.5 million-ton port-capacity figure has no stated date or operating basis.
Strategic and market-access role
Chabahar Free Zone is one of Iran’s most strategically distinctive free-zone assets because it sits on the Makran coast, outside the Persian Gulf, with access to the Indian Ocean and relevance to east-west and north-south trade concepts. In the Hormuz Graph, it connects free-zone regulation, port access, warehousing, transit ambition, Sistan and Baluchestan’s underdeveloped market, and routes toward Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Arabian Sea. Its value is corridor-based, but execution depends on infrastructure depth, security, compliance, and logistics reliability. The zone’s market-access relevance rests on its position on the Makran coast, with access to the Sea of Oman and Indian Ocean rather than reliance on Persian Gulf gateways. It is positioned as part of Iran’s eastern transit axis and as a bridge toward Afghanistan and landlocked Central Asian markets. Commercial use of that position depends on the practical availability of freight, customs, banking and partner arrangements for a given transaction.
Operations, capacity & connectivity
Related use cases
Useful for corridor screening, free-zone entry analysis, export/import routing, port-linked logistics planning, warehouse assessment, and partner search for companies evaluating eastern Iran or Indian Ocean access. Analysts can use it to compare Chabahar with Bandar Abbas and southern Gulf gateways, while testing whether corridor narratives match actual freight services, customs processes, banking constraints, local partners, and inland connectivity toward Afghanistan or central Iran.
Capacity and service area
Capacity: The zone is reported to encompass approximately 81,871 hectares, including around 77,000 hectares in Chabahar and around 5,000 hectares in the separated Ramin Free Zone. Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari ports are reported to have 11 berths and total capacity of 8.5 million tons; no date or operating basis for this capacity figure was provided. Service area: Chabahar and the wider eastern Iranian transit axis, with stated links to Afghanistan and landlocked nations of Central Asia.
Connected modes
Maritime port access through Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari ports, alongside transit and transshipment functions.
Industries served
Port-linked logistics and transit services; investment and industrial development.
Ownership, operation & expansion
Owner and operator
Owner: Chabahar Free Zone Organization Operator: Chabahar Free Zone Organization
Opening or commissioning
Established in 1992; operations reportedly commenced in 1995.
Expansion and development projects
An additional 67,871 hectares were reported as added in February 2019, including Chabahar city, Shahid Kalantari Port, Shahid Beheshti Port, Tis New City, Chabahar Industrial Town and the Ramin border crossing.
Constraints, risk & compliance
Key risks and compliance considerations
The reported free-zone incentives and banking access should be assessed transaction by transaction, including applicable sanctions, compliance, payment and counterparty requirements.
Connected Intelligence
Relevant geography, industry, market and execution context for this profile.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers to the questions most likely to arise when reviewing this profile.
Where is Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone located?
It is located in Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, in southeastern Iran on the Makran coast, east of Chabahar Bay and beside the Sea of Oman and Indian Ocean.
What is the zone’s role in regional trade?
It supports merchandise transit and is positioned on Iran’s eastern transit axis, with stated relevance to Afghanistan and landlocked Central Asian markets.
Which ports are linked to the zone?
The reported 2019 expansion included Shahid Beheshti Port and Shahid Kalantari Port. Together, the ports are reported to have 11 berths and 8.5 million tons of capacity, although no date was provided for that capacity figure.
What compliance considerations apply to activity in the zone?
Potential users should assess applicable sanctions, counterparty, payment, banking and transaction-specific compliance requirements before proceeding. The supplied evidence does not establish transaction-level legal clearance.