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Chabahar Port
The decision of the US government to revoke the 2018 sanctions waiver with regard to strategic Iranian port of Chabahar will have implications for India, which is engaged in the development of a terminal at the port. The US Department of State in a statement said that in consistent with President Trump's maximum pressure policy to isolate the Iranian regime, it has revoked the sanctions exception issued in 2018 under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) for Afghanistan reconstruction assistance and economic development, effective September 29, 2025. "Once the revocation is effective, persons who operate the Chabahar Port or engage in other activities described in IFCA may expose themselves to sanctions under IFCA," the statement said. India will be impacted by this decision, as it is involved in development of a terminal at the Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman. On May 13, 2024, India signed a 10-year contract to operate the port that will help it expand trade with
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Sunday held a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Ahmadian with a focus on regional situation and the Chabahar port project. An Iranian readout said Doval talked about Iran's "constructive role" in the region and expressed India's interest in further expanding cooperation in the development of Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). It is understood that the recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan also figured in the talks. "During the call, Doval emphasised Iran's constructive role in the region and expressed India's interest in expanding bilateral cooperation -- particularly in the development of Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor," the readout said. He also thanked Iran for its continued assistance and support, it noted. "Ahmadian affirmed that Iran and India, as two ancient civilizations, share deep-rooted ties and vast potential fo
In a significant move, an Indian delegation met Afghanistan's acting Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and offered the use of Chabahar Port in Iran to businesses in his country, and also discussed extending humanitarian assistance to Kabul. The delegation was led by J P Singh, the Joint Secretary of the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the External Affairs Ministry. During a weekly media briefing here, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said that apart from Mohammad Yaqoob, the delegation also met with former President Hamid Karzai and other senior ministers, along with the heads of UN agencies. "They had discussions on India's humanitarian assistance, also how the Chabahar Port can be utilised by the business community in Afghanistan for transactions and for export and import and any other thing that they would like to do," Jaiswal said in response to a question. India does not recognise the Taliban regime that has been ruling Afghanistan since 2021. I
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the Chabahar port would benefit the entire region and a narrow view should not be taken of it, after the US warned that any country having business dealings with Iran runs the "potential risk of sanctions". Speaking at a programme in Kolkata on Tuesday night, he said that in the past, even the US has been appreciative of the fact that the Chabahar port has a larger relevance. India on Monday signed a 10-year contract to operate the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar that will help New Delhi expand trade with Central Asia. "We had a long association with the Chabahar port but we could never sign a long-term agreement. The reason was there were various problems... Finally, we were able to sort this out and we were able to get the long-term agreement done. A long-term agreement is necessary because without it we cannot improve the port operations. And, the port operations, we believe, will benefit the entire region," Jaishankar said. "I did