Examining implications: India on US ending sanctions waiver
New Delhi: India on Friday said it is examining the implications of the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the 2018 sanctions waiver with regard to the strategically-located Chabahar port in Iran.
India is a major partner in development of the Chabahar port, located in the Sistan-Balochistan province Iran’s southern coast. It is currently operating the Shahid Beheshti terminal at the port.
The US State Department said this week that people operating the Chabahar Port and engaging in other related activities will face sanctions under the US Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) starting September 29.
“We have seen the US press statement regarding revocation of sanctions waiver for Chabahar Port. We are presently examining its implications for India,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
He was responding to a question on the US action.
The move to revoke the 2018 sanctions waiver is consistent with President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure policy to isolate the Iranian regime, State Department principal deputy spokesperson Thomas Pigott said in a statement this week.
“The Secretary of State 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,” he said.
“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,” Pigott added.
The Chabahar port is being developed by India and Iran to boost connectivity and trade ties.
Both the countries are also strongly pitching for making Chabahar port an integral part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
