Iran to hand over Chabahar Port to India within 1 month

New Delhi [India], Sept. 07 (ANI): Iran will hand over Chabahar Port to India for operation and maintenance purposes within a month, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi said on Friday.

Speaking to ANI, Akhoundi said that a contract has already been signed and things are moving forward at a good pace.

"We think the Chabahar port will be handed to Indian authorities within one month. It is already operating and will be handed over for management and operation purposes," the Iranian Minister said.

Reacting to reports about the USA's intervention in India's oil imports from Iran, Akhoundi termed USA as an outsider and underlined the need for strengthening of the relationship between New Delhi and Tehran.

"India and Iran's relationship is essential for region and we are looking at ways to work together. The USA is an outsider in the region, so the insiders should come together and continue their friendship," he said.

The Chabahar port complex is expected to pave the way for millions of dollars in trade and is being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for land-locked Afghanistan.

Both India and Iran signed an agreement worth USD 85 million to develop the port in south-eastern Iran.

The agreement, which was signed in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, gives operational control of Shahid Beheshti port (phase one of the Chabahar port) to India.