Pakistan becomes key to US strategy to encircle Iran

New Delhi: Pakistan is emerging as a key pillar in the US South-Central Asia plan to encircle Iran with possible American boots on the ground in the proposed port and mines in Balochistan.

Pakistan's reported offer to the Trump administration to build a port at Pasni is too close for Iran's comfort and could be used in future by the US to target Iran. Pasni is a port town in the Gwadar district in the province of Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

Besides Pasni, the US may establish its presence on the ground in Balochistan to safeguard the proposed mining rights. Any US presence in Pasni, simultaneously with the Chinese presence in Gwadar, could complicate India's role in the Chabahar port. The US revoked sanctions waiver for the Chabahar port from September 29.


A bigger US presence along the Pakistan-Iran border will further complicate Islamabad's ties with Tehran, an issue which the Pakistan Army seems to ignore at this stage. The US had earlier made a move to declare the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) a Foreign Terrorist Organisation to facilitate the presence of American mining firms in Pakistan's biggest province that reportedly has rare earth deposits.

Pakistan and the US, ever since the warming of ties under Trump 2.0, have held dialogue on mining Pakistan's rare earths. In fact, this has been one of the factors that contributed to strengthening of the US-Pakistan ties over the past six months.