India is engaging with the United States to ensure that its strategic role at Iran’s Chabahar Port continues smoothly, as a key sanctions waiver granted by Washington approaches its expiry later this month.
India on Friday said it is in talks with the US to ensure that its operations at Iran’s Chabahar Port continue under a time-bound sanctions waiver granted by Washington, which is due to expire on April 26.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the US Treasury Department had issued a letter on October 28, 2025, informing India of an unconditional sanctions waiver. “As you are aware, the sanctions waiver we have received is valid until April 26, 2026. We are in discussions with the US side to work within this framework,” he said.
The waiver allows India to continue its development role at Chabahar Port, which New Delhi considers strategically important for accessing Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan. The port is also seen as a key regional trade and transit hub.
Earlier, the US had granted India a six-month exemption for Chabahar-related activities after the previous waiver expired, offering temporary relief to India’s connectivity plans.
India and Iran signed a 10-year agreement in 2024 for Indian operations at the port, ending years of interim arrangements. The deal was aimed at providing long-term certainty to India’s presence at Chabahar despite the wider sanctions regime on Iran.
This is a developing story.
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