Iran criticizes US for ‘illegally’ targeting Chabahar Port investments
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday criticized Washington’s move to revoke sanctions waivers for the southeastern Chabahar Port, calling it an illegal attempt “to block other countries from investing in the facility”.
“The US decision is not only aimed at putting pressure on Iran and hindering the economic development of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, but also at unlawfully preventing other countries from cooperating in the investment and development of Chabahar Port,” Mohammad Reza Bahrami, director-general for South Asia at the ministry, told IRNA.
The US has announced it will revoke the waiver of sanctions granted to India on Iran's Chabahar Port, ending the special exemption granted in 2018 during Donald Trump's first tenure. The exemption had allowed India to operate and develop a trade terminal in the port city on Iran's Makran coast.
The US State Department said that starting September 29, persons operating Chabahar Port and engaging in related activities would face sanctions under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA). The move, part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy, is another setback for India’s plans to develop Chabahar, which has already faced delays due to wider US sanctions on Tehran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry official said the measure is significant because Chabahar has served as a symbol of cooperation between Iran and countries in the Global South, helping improve geographical access and promote trade and transit across the region.
Bahrami added that Iran and its economic and trade partners, fully aware of the importance of their cooperation, will continue advancing Chabahar’s development plan as a key national and regional project, regardless of what he called Washington’s “illogical and anti-development interference.”
The US decision threatens New Delhi's $500 million investment and its bid to reach Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan. Trump's decision jeopardizes India's first overseas port project and undermines the Chabahar port, the strategic counter to Pakistan's Gwadar port run by China.
In a reaction to the US withdrawal of the sanctions waiver, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said it was “examining its implications” for New Delhi.
"We have seen the US press statement regarding the revocation of the sanctions waiver for Chabahar Port. We are presently examining its implications for India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told the media.