NEW DELHI – Iran India flagship project of Chabahar Port which was to giveIndia access to Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan, faces asetback.

Iranian Ambassador to India Ali Chegeni said that India’s development workhad been “very slow”, and that trade to Afghanistan was “much lower” thanit should be, India’s The Hindu reported.

He also said that in view of the delay over India’s plans to build arailway line connecting Chabahar port to the Afghan border at Zahedan, theIranian government had decided to complete the railroad through its ownresources by 2021.

Iran, India and Afghanistan had signed a trilateral agreement, to developChabahar, in May 2016 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AfghanPresident Ashraf Ghani’s visits to Tehran.