The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is considering launching a transport corridor between Iran, Afghanistan and China through Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, which borders China's Xinjiang region. The project involves establishing a rail link between the cities of Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif, as well as the high-altitude Wakhan Valley on the Little Pamir, also known as the 'Roof of the World'. This area was once a central route of the Great Silk Road, which linked East and West.
According to Iranian sources, the Wakhan Corridor would halve delivery times from China to Europe, providing a significant advantage over existing supply chains through Central Asian states such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
A year ago, Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development unveiled plans for the development of nine transit rail corridors, with an estimated cost of over $10 billion. Some of these cross Afghanistan, including the Five Nations Railway Corridor, which Tehran has promoted since the early 2000s. Another strategic priority appears to be a trans-Afghan corridor to China. Construction of the 225-kilometre Haf-Herat railway line, the first three sections of which were commissioned in 2020, marked the beginning of both projects. The final section is scheduled to open soon.
On 22 October 2025, Tehran signed an agreement with Ankara and Kabul to jointly construct a 1,435 mm-gauge railway line from Herat to Mazar-i-Sharif. Iran will allocate an unprecedented $2.5 billion towards this project. The country subsequently intends to extend the railway to the Wakhan through the north-eastern province of Kunduz. Since 2023, Tehran has been negotiating this with the Afghan authorities. Meanwhile, the Taliban are taking practical steps to establish a direct transport link with China.
In September 2023, work resumed using Afghan budget funds to gravel the 120-kilometre Wakhan Corridor to the Wakhjir Pass on the border with China, which began in 2019. By the end of 2025, the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development reported that 70 per cent of the work had been completed.
The Taliban have repeatedly appealed to Beijing for financial assistance to create transport infrastructure along the Wakhan Corridor, capitalizing on their eastern neighbor’s desire to include Afghanistan in the Belt and Road Initiative. However, due to security concerns, Chinese diplomacy is currently adopting a wait-and-see approach to opening the shared border for trade. Preference is instead given to establishing a link to Afghanistan through Pakistan, via the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Badakhshan, or through Central Asian countries. In the latter case, Tajikistan could strengthen its position as a transit hub by becoming a reliable conduit between China and Afghanistan.
* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.
