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16m ago

US Revokes Chabahar Sanctions Waiver, Putting India’s Port Deal at Risk

Washington says the 2018 exception ends on September 29 under its maximum-pressure push against Iranian networks funding the IRGC.

A speed boat passes by oil docks at the port of Kalantari in the city of Chabahar, east of the Strait of Hormuz.
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In 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year contract which allowed India to equip and operate a cargo terminal in the port with a financial commitment of $120 million
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Overview

  • Once the revocation takes effect, people or entities operating at Chabahar or engaging in IFCA-covered activities may be exposed to US sanctions, the State Department said.
  • India’s India Ports Global Limited has run the Shahid Beheshti terminal since 2018 and signed a 10-year operating pact in May 2024, with about $120 million committed and a proposed $250 million credit line.
  • US officials paired the move with designations targeting illicit financial networks tied to Iranian oil sales that benefit the IRGC-Qods Force and Iran’s defense ministry.
  • The decision complicates India’s plan to use Chabahar as a route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that bypasses Pakistan and as a key node on the International North-South Transport Corridor used for aid and trade.
  • Planned capacity upgrades and rail links, including a connection toward Zahedan expected by 2026, face heightened legal and financing uncertainty, and regional transit ambitions such as Uzbekistan’s access remain constrained.