'Anyone doing business with Iran open to potential sanctions': US warns after India & Iran sign Chabahar port deal

Following the signing of an agreement between India and Iran regarding the Chabahar port, the United States said anyone doing business with Iran is open to potential sanctions.

The US has imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Iran in the light of its nuclear programme. Iran is suspected to be developing nuclear weapons in violation of international treaties and sanctions are a result of it.

At a press conference, US Depart of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel further said that there is not going to be any exemption for India and the sanctions are potentially applicable to all the countries dealing with Iran.

‘We’ll continue to enforce’: US on Iran sanctions after Chabahar deal

Patel said that the United States will continue to enforce the sanctions it has imposed on Iran.

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In response to a question on the Chabahar agreement signed on Monday, Patel said that is for the Indian government to speak on the matter and not that of the Biden administration.

Patel said, “I will let the Government of India speak to its own foreign policy goals vis-à-vis the Chabahar port as well as its own bilateral relationship with Iran. I will just say, as it relates to the United States, U.S. sanctions on Iran remain in place and we’ll continue to enforce them.”

Patel further said that all entities considering business deals with Iran “need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions”.

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What’s India-Iran Chabahar port deal?

With eyes on trade with Central Asia, India on Monday signed a deal with Iran to operate the Iranian port of Chabahar for a period of 10 years.

The Chabahar port, first proposed by India in 2003, is intended to provide Indian goods a gateway to reach landlocked Afghanistan and further to Central using a network of rail and road projects. The port is formally called the Shahid Beheshti Port Terminal.

The deal was signed between India Port Global Limited (IPGL) and Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) of Iran. Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was in Iran for the signing of the deal.

“The Ministerial visit and signing of the Long-term Contract will further strengthen ties between the two nations and highlights the importance of Chabahar as a gateway for trade with Afghanistan and broader Central Asian countries. The development of the Chabahar Port Project is an India-Iran flagship project,” said Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in a statement.