U.S. sanctions against India’s port project in Chabahar have been implemented.
U.S. sanctions against the Chabahar port project in Iran were implemented on Monday, an action that took place just one day after the return of UN sanctions against Tehran.
The Trump administration in 2018 had issued a rare exemption for India to continue developing the Chabahar port, but this exemption has now ended.
Tommy Pigott, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, announced that this exemption was revoked as of September 29 and stated that this decision is consistent with President Trump’s maximum pressure policy to isolate the Iranian regime. According to him, the previous exemption was applied to help rebuild and economically develop Afghanistan.
The Chabahar port was proposed as an alternative route for Afghanistan to bypass Pakistan, but its importance diminished with the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
This action comes as U.S.-India relations have cooled during Trump’s second term.