US waives sanctions on Chabahar port till April; key to India's access to Afganistan, Central Asia

NEW DELHI: US has extended the waiver from sanctions granted last month for the Chabahar port in Iran by another six months, the govt said Thursday. To isolate Tehran, the US state department had in Sept revoked the sanctions exception issued in 2018 for the port that India developed for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pak.


Once effective, those operating the port or carrying out related activities under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act are likely to face US sanctions.

The port is increasingly important for India's access to Afghanistan at a time when its ties with the Taliban regime in Kabul are on the upswing. Both sides are looking to ramp up their economic ties and the Taliban have appealed to Pakistan to allow India and Afghanistan to trade via the land route.