Overview

• The waiver, introduced in 2018 under the Iran Freedom and Counter‑Proliferation Act to facilitate Afghanistan-related trade, will lapse on September 29.
• India’s Ports Global Limited signed a 10-year pact on May 13, 2024 to operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar, which now faces exposure to U.S. sanctions.
• Analysts warn the decision jeopardizes roughly $500 million in Indian investments and could slow planned upgrades, deter shipping lines, and complicate financing.
• The State Department cautioned that entities operating at Chabahar or undertaking IFCA-covered activities could be sanctioned once the waiver ends.
• Washington frames the move as part of renewed maximum pressure on Tehran, with concurrent actions targeting Iran’s oil-linked networks, and observers say Afghanistan’s use of Chabahar for humanitarian and commercial transit could be constrained.