India is developing the strategically important port of Chabahar, close to Iran’s border with Pakistan, and these efforts could be answered by US sanctions.
Hours after India signed a 10-year contract with Tehran to operate a port, the United States warned all countries considering business deals with Iran of potential sanctions. The move, a follow-up to a 2016 contract, was described by India’s maritime minister as a “historic moment”.
The US response to this signature could be more sanctions, as it has done more than 600 times in three years against Iran-linked organisations.
In response to a question about the deal, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that US sanctions against Iran were still in place and Washington would continue to enforce them: “Any organisation considering a business deal with Iran needs to be aware of the potential risks they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions.”
