New Delhi: After the United States warned of potential risks to any country doing business with Iran, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the deal between India and Iran to develop Chabahar port should not be taken with a “narrow view” as the project would benefit the entire region. Sanctions Risk.
The warning from the U.S. State Department came hours after India and Iran on Monday signed a ten-year deal to expand India’s operations in the strategic deep-sea port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman. The United States also stated that there are no exemptions from U.S. sanctions imposed under the India-Iran agreement.
Referring to the remarks of the US State Department deputy spokesperson, Jaishankar told a program in Kolkata on Tuesday night that the US has always appreciated the importance of Chabahar port in the past.
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“I do see some of the rhetoric, but I think it’s a matter of communication and persuasion to make people understand that this is actually for everyone’s benefit. I don’t think people should look at it in a tunnel vision. They haven’t done that in the past. Yes,” he said.
Jaishankar said India has a long-standing relationship with the Chabahar port but has so far been unable to sign a long-term deal with Iran for the operation of the facility. “The reason is that there were various issues… In the end, we were able to resolve the issue and were able to reach a long-term agreement,” he said, adding that the agreement was needed to improve port operations, which would benefit the port operations. the whole area.
“If you look at the United States’ own past attitude toward Chabahar, the United States has always appreciated Chabahar’s greater relevance. We will work to resolve this issue,” he added.
In another development, U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday that Washington remained concerned about Iran’s activities in the region, although “clarification” was expected on the Chabahar port issue.
“We know India is a friend and we look at it on a case-by-case basis, but generally speaking, the sanctions regime we have in place against people who collaborate with Iran and export terrorism is something we take very seriously,” Garcetti told News. Channel 18.
That will be something we will have to look at further and I think you will see clarification in the future,” he said in response to a question on the India-Iran deal and US sanctions warning.
Both New Delhi and Tehran view the Chabahar port on Iran’s energy-rich southern coast as a trade and transit hub with countries in Europe, Russia, Afghanistan and Central Asia. They also expect the port to become a hub for the 7,200-km International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
In 2018, the United States provided exceptions to sanctions under the Iran Freedom and Counterproliferation Act of 2012 for the development of Chabahar Port.