NEW DELHI: The United States has granted India a six-month waiver from sanctions on the strategically significant Chabahar Port project in Iran, the External Affairs Ministry confirmed on Thursday.
The waiver, which came into effect on March 29, will allow India to continue operations and development activities at the port without facing punitive US measures.
“I can confirm that we have been granted exemption for six months on the American sanctions that were applicable on Chabahar,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said
Chabahar has been central to India’s vision of enhanced trade connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia. It serves as a gateway that bypasses Pakistan, ensuring access to landlocked regions through an alternative trade route.
The Chabahar Port, located on the Gulf of Oman, has been jointly developed by India and Iran. Since India took operational control of the Shahid Beheshti terminal through India Ports Global Limited, the port has handled over eight million tonnes of cargo.
It has also facilitated the delivery of essential humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, particularly after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The project’s future had come under uncertainty last month when Washington revoked the earlier exemption provided under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) of 2018.
That exemption had allowed India and other countries to engage in development work at Chabahar despite broader US sanctions on Iran. The latest six-month waiver restores critical breathing space for India’s operations and regional outreach.
Meanwhile, India is also assessing the implications of new US sanctions on Russian oil companies. “We are studying the implications of the recent US sanctions on Russian oil entities. Our decisions naturally take into account the evolving dynamics of the global market,” Jaiswal said.
The spokesperson underlined that India’s approach to energy sourcing remains guided by national interest and the need to secure affordable supplies for its population of 1.4 billion.
"Our position on energy procurement is well known. We are driven by the imperative of ensuring energy security through diversified and reliable sources,” he said.
On Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US, Jaiswal also said that the discussion on the long-pending India-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is ongoing.
“We continue to remain engaged with the US side to conclude a trade deal, and these discussions are continuing,” he said, without disclosing a specific timeline.
