Fars Province to Soon Connect to the Persian Gulf

Mohammad Ali Afshani, the governor of Fars, announced during a meeting with a Japanese business delegation that the province will soon be connected to the Persian Gulf. According to the Fars governorate website, Afshani introduced Fars Province as having 'numerous advantages and capacities' and stated that it will 'soon be connected to the sea.' He added that connecting the province to open waters will create 'favorable conditions for investment' in Fars. Afshani mentioned that 'Fars Province has good conditions in various transportation sectors, including rail, road, and airport.' The governor expressed hope that Japanese business delegations would launch economic and commercial projects in the province. He told the business delegation that 'the government supports investments that include technology transfer and will also grant exemptions.' The controversial plan to connect Fars Province to the Persian Gulf was approved during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second presidential term and its implementation was postponed to Hassan Rouhani's government. The Parsian region near the Persian Gulf saw public protests in 2013 following the approval of this plan, which would annex a small part of the city of 'Parsian' in Hormozgan Province to Fars Province, leading to some unrest in southern Iran. At that time, several protesters in Bandar Abbas, who had gathered for two weeks, were arrested by security forces. Iranian media reported in 2013 that the change in regional divisions was based on the opinion of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. If this resolution is implemented, Fars Province will be connected to the waters of the Persian Gulf through several docks and coastal areas.