Following the recent signing of a decade-long agreement between India and Iran concerning the Chabahar port, the United States has made it clear that there will be no exemptions for Indian firms engaging in business with Iran, despite the previous waivers granted during the Trump administration. This is a drastic shift from the older position, under which exemptions had been granted to India after the United States pulled out from the Iran nuclear deal that had been started by former President Barack Obama.
Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, told reporters on Monday that though the deal between India and Iran was a two-way thing and that India was sovereign in deciding its foreign policy matters, companies and individuals looking to do business with Iran would have to realize that there was a risk of getting caught under the sanctions.
When questioned about the possibility of exemptions, Patel unequivocally stated, "No."
His remarks came in response to queries regarding the agreement inked by New Delhi and Tehran, which grants India operational rights at the Chabahar port for a decade.
The waiver granted in 2018 was initially intended to facilitate India's construction and development efforts at the port located in southern Iran, enabling the transportation of goods to Afghanistan and other destinations, as Pakistan had restricted access through its territory.
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