Pakistan is being accused of "double-crossing" the United States after it opened six overland routes for Iran as part of a transit corridor on April 25,
2026, according to Al Jazeera. This allows Tehran to use Pakistani territory to transit goods and trade with China and Russia. The development has come at a time when Donald Trump has blocked the Strait of Hormuz to counter Iran’s blockade, in order to build pressure on Tehran and force it to come to the table for a peace deal. However, the move by Islamabad allowing Iran to use its territory for trade with China and Russia and bypassing the Hormuz blockade may not go down well with Washington, which is at war with Tehran. The six overland corridors allowed by Pakistan to Iran are through Balochistan-based routes that connect major Pakistani ports, including Gwadar, Karachi, and Port Qasim, to Iranian border crossings, primarily Taftan and Gabd. Sharing his view on Pakistan’s action, US National Security Expert Derek J Grossman has warned Islamabad that by granting access to these routes, Pakistan was undermining Trump’s strategy. Grossman said that Pakistan’s actions will be counterproductive to Trump’s actions to build economic pressure on Iran as it would give a breather to Tehran to bypass the Hormuz blockade and continue its oil trade uninterrupted. In a statement on X, the national security expert said, "Trump administration, you have a problem. Your good friend Pakistan appears to have just opened six overland links to Iran, helping the regime bypass your counter-blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. This will help Iran continue to resist US pressure. Islamabad double deals America...AGAIN!"
