The Indian government said on Friday it is considering its next steps after the US revoked a sanctions waiver allowing India to operate in and develop Iran’s Chabahar Port. The move threatens Indian business interests in the strategic port as both New Delhi and Tehran see tensions with the Trump administration rise.
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Friday, “We have seen the US press statement regarding revocation of sanctions waiver for Chabahar Port. We are presently examining its implications for India.”
The US State Department announced on Tuesday that a 2018 sanctions waiver allowing development of the Chabahar Port will be revoked starting on Sept. 29. The waiver, which enabled India to build railways and facilitated oil shipments to Afghanistan, was issued under the 2018 Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act. The act established sanctions on Iran’s energy and shipping industries and was revoked in keeping with President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy toward Iran, according to the department.
“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,” State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said in a statement.
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