'Narrow View': Jaishankar On US's 'Sanctions' Warning After Chabahar Port Deal With Iran
India-Iran Chabahar Port Deal: While speaking at an event in Kolkata, Jaishankar highlighted that the US itself had appreciated the larger relevance of Chabahar in the past.
India-Iran Chabahar Port Deal: A day after the United States warned of "potential risk of sanctions" after India signed a 10-year agreement for operating and managing the Chabahar Port in Iran, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the project will benefit the entire region and people should not take a "narrow view" of it.
The EAM also highlighted that the US itself had appreciated the larger relevance of Chabahar in the past. He was speaking at an interaction after the launch of the Bangla edition of his book 'Why Bharat Matters' in Kolkata on Wednesday.
On being asked about the US' remarks pertaining to the deal, Jaishankar said, "I did see some of the remarks that were made, but I think it's a question of communicating, convincing, and getting people to understand, that this is actually for everyone's benefit. I don't think people should take a narrow view of it," as quoted by ANI.
"They (the US) have not done so in the past. So, if you look at the US' own attitude towards the port in Chabahar, the US has been appreciative of the fact that Chabahar has a larger relevance. We will work at it," he further stated.
On Tuesday, the United States warned that "anyone" considering business deals with Tehran needs to be aware of the "potential risk of sanctions."
"I would just say...US sanctions on Iran remain in place, and we will continue to enforce them," US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at the press briefing.
"Any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk they are opening themselves up to, potential risk of sanctions," he added.
India and Iran have inked a 10-year agreement to operate and manage the Chabahar Port, and also to develop the next phase of the project by way of mega connectivity plans, even as New Delhi plans to integrate it with the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), thereby creating a seamless trading route from India to Russia through Iran.
The US is thus viewing the contract as a “new deal” and there is “no more” exemption on this particular deal, top-level sources told ABP News.
The US, under the Joe Biden administration, has imposed more than 600 sanctions on Iran-related individuals and entities, and also on those that conduct business with Tehran, the US President said last month.
Jaishankar said that New Delhi had a long association with the project, but was not able to sign a long-term pact, which was important. He further stated that India was able to sort out the issues and sign the long-term agreement, which will benefit the entire region.
"We have had a long association with the Chabahar Port, but we could never sign a long-term agreement. The reason was...there were various problems on the Iranian end...the joint-venture partner changes, the condition changed," the EAM said, as quoted by ANI.
He further stated, "Finally, we were able to sort this out, and we were able to get the long-term agreement done. The long-term agreement is necessary because, without it, you cannot really improve the port operation. And the port operation, we believe, will benefit the entire region."
The Chabahar Port is an India-Iran flagship project that serves as an important transit port for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.
During the erstwhile Donald Trump administration, Washington had given a few exemptions to India for developing the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran, even as the US was focusing on the port of the Gulf of Oman as it was key to its presence in war-torn Afghanistan, another official told ABP News, on condition of anonymity.
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