India gets six-month US waiver to operate Iran’s Chabahar port
“New Delhi says Washington has cleared a six-month waiver for Indian operations at Iran’s Chabahar port.”
Key points
- New Delhi says Washington has cleared a six-month waiver for Indian operations at Iran’s Chabahar port.
- The move aims to boost regional trade links into Afghanistan and Central Asia amid evolving U.S.–India trade discussions.
- Officials see the waiver as stabilising long-planned logistics routes.
India said the United States has granted a six-month sanctions waiver allowing New Delhi to operate Iran’s Chabahar port, reviving a project meant to expand trade links with Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters the exemption has taken effect, with India pursuing broader trade discussions with Washington.
The waiver follows India’s 10-year operating pact with Iran and comes as New Delhi rebalances energy purchases after U.S. sanctions on major Russian exporters. The port, located on Iran’s Gulf of Oman coast, has long been pitched as a gateway for landlocked Afghanistan and a strategic counterweight to Pakistan’s Karachi port. Indian officials say the waiver will facilitate cargo flows and regional connectivity that had been constrained by sanctions uncertainty.
The announcement also lands alongside efforts to thaw trade frictions with Washington. Officials framed the clearance as a practical step that keeps the port active while diplomacy continues on a wider trade agenda.
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