Overview

• The State Department warned that entities operating at Iran’s Chabahar Port could face penalties under the Iran Freedom and Counter‑Proliferation Act once the exemption ends on September 29.
• India’s Indian Ports Global Limited, which signed a 10‑year deal on May 13, 2024 to operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal, now faces direct legal exposure for continued activities.
• The waiver, first granted in 2018 to facilitate Afghanistan‑related transit, is being withdrawn as part of Washington’s renewed maximum‑pressure campaign on Tehran.
• Analysts expect planned upgrades to slow and say shipping lines and financiers may pull back, complicating the port’s ability to scale operations.
• Afghanistan’s use of Chabahar for humanitarian and commercial shipments that bypass Pakistan could be constrained, raising concerns over regional connectivity and trade.