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Afghanistan shifts trade to Iran to avoid Pakistan’s shutdown

Landlocked Afghanistan is leaning more on trade routes through Iran and Central Asia to reduce dependence on Pakistan, officials said, as tension between the neighbors escalated, with their borders closed in recent weeks, Reuters reported. Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistani ports has long given Islamabad leverage to pressure Kabul over illegals fleeing across the border. But Afghanistan is increasingly using Iran’s concessions to move cargo to the Indian-backed port of Chabahar, bypassing Pakistan and avoiding repeated border and transit disruptions. “In the last six months, our trade with Iran reached $1.6 billion, higher than the $1.1 billion we traded with Pakistan,”