Kazakhstan responds to reports of strikes near leased facility in Iran

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Tengrinews.kz — The Ministry of Trade and Integration has denied reports of strikes hitting the Kazakhstan-owned site at the Port of Bandar Abbas.

On July 7, news broke regarding the signing of an agreement to transfer a plot of land in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas to Kazakhstan for the construction of a transport and logistics terminal. However, hours later, reports emerged of U.S. airstrikes in southern Iran, including the Bandar Abbas area where the future Kazakh facility is located.

The Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan stated that the Kazakh site was not affected.

"This information is untrue. While there were precision airstrikes in the area, none hit our site. We would like to note that Kazakhstan only recently acquired the land, and there is currently no infrastructure on the property," commented Tengrinews.kz Toigul Zhubanisova, official spokesperson for the MTI.

Earlier, media reports surfaced regarding strikes on facilities in the Bandar Abbas area, including port infrastructure.

Kazakhstan allocated site at Shahid Rajaee Port

A day earlier, a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement was signed at the Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, granting a land plot for the construction of a Kazakh transport and logistics terminal.

The document was signed on behalf of Kazakhstan by Aman Malgazhdarov, Director General of the QazExportPromotion Corporate Fund under the QazTrade Center for Trade Policy Development (MTI). Representing Iran was Hossein Abbas Nejad, Head of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Hormozgan Province and Director of the Shahid Rajaee Port Special Economic Zone.

The agreement spans 27 years: two years for terminal construction and 25 years for operation. The facility is scheduled to enter commercial operation in the third year of the project.

The Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration noted that the terminal's creation will strengthen Kazakhstan's role in the North-South International Transport Corridor, expand export routes, and provide access to markets in the Persian Gulf, South and Southeast Asia, and East Africa.