Iran’s Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman is set to get a rail link to boost Afghanistan’s trade.
A view of the port of Chabahar, Iran. PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The United States has granted India a six-month sanctions waiver to operate Iran’s Chabahar port, India said Thursday, boosting New Delhi’s efforts to expand trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries while bypassing rival Pakistan.
India signed a 10-year deal with Iran last year to develop and operate the port. Earlier this month, it also deepened ties with Taliban-led Afghanistan by reopening its embassy in Kabul, which had been closed after the Islamist group seized power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces.
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The port, located on Iran’s southeastern coast of the Gulf of Oman, was initially planned to have a rail link with Afghanistan aimed at boosting the landlocked country’s economy through trade and reducing Kabul’s dependence on Pakistan’s Karachi port.
The waiver announcement follows statements this week by US President Donald Trump that he wanted to pursue a trade deal with India – signaling a thaw in relations that had reached their lowest point in decades after he doubled tariffs on Indian imports to 50% in response to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
Indian refiners are now reducing their imports of Russian oil after Washington last week imposed sanctions on Moscow’s top crude exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil.
“I can confirm that we have been granted an exemption for a period of six months,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a weekly news briefing, referring to the port. He added that India was continuing negotiations with the Trump administration on a bilateral trade deal.
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Washington last month revoked the Chabahar sanctions waiver – first granted in 2018 – as part of its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, aimed at countering what it calls the Islamic Republic’s destabilizing activities and support for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
An Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the lifting of U.S. sanctions took effect on Wednesday. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
