After the United States warned of "potential risk of
sanctions" as India struck a 10-year deal with Iran on operating a part of
Iran's Chabahar Port, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday 14 May responded
by saying that the project will benefit
the entire region and a "narrow view" of the matter should not be
taken. He further asserted that the US has previously appreciated the
larger relevance of Chabahar in the past.
India and Iran on Monday signed a 10-year deal that would give India
management control over a section of the crucial Chabahar Port, which opens up
trade routes between India and land-locked Afghanistan, Iran and other Eurasian
countries. India will take control of operations at the Shahid-Beheshti Port
Terminal. Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) has committed to further equipping
and operating the port for the duration of the contract.
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Speaking at an interaction after the launch of the Bengali version of
his book 'Why Bharat Matters' in Kolkata, Jaishankar said, "I did see some
of the remarks which 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."
“They (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 added. Jaishankar
further said that India had a long association with the project, but was not
able to sign a long-term pact, which was important.
"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," he said.
Earlier 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. 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.
The Chabahar Port is an India-Iran flagship project
that serves as an important transit port for trade with Afghanistan and Central
Asian countries, which are landlocked countries…The port also opens up a new vista
of economic opportunities for business communities to explore an alternative
transit route from the sensitive and busy Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
However, US sanctions on Iran have slowed the development of the port. Chabahar is a key component of India's
growing connectivity initiatives.