By Fatemeh Kavand

The siege that turned Iran into a transit hub

TEHRAN - The US Navy blockaded Iranian ports, but Pakistan opened six land routes. A new 89‑km corridor has cut travel time to Iran from 18 hours to just a fraction of that. Iran, which once conducted 90% of its trade by sea, now moves 40% of it on rails — and China and Central Asia are now part of the equation.