Jaishankar Hits Back At US Over Sanctions Warning, Calls It Narrow View

New Delhi: As US raised concerns over Chabahar Port Deal between India and Iran, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar exposed Washington's doublespeak. Jaishankar said that the Chabahar port would benefit the entire region and a narrow view should not be taken of it. The United States had warned that any country having business dealings with Iran runs the "potential risk of sanctions".

Speaking at an event in Kolkata, Jaishankar said, "We had a long association with the Chabahar port but we could never sign a long-term agreement. The reason was there were various problems. Finally, we were able to sort this out and we were able to get the long-term agreement done. A long-term agreement is necessary because without it we cannot improve the port operations. And, the port operations, we believe, will benefit the entire region."

He said that countries must not take a narrow view as far as Chabahar is concerned. "I did see some remarks which were made, but I think it's a question of communicating and convincing and getting people to understand that this is actually for everybody's benefit. I don't think people should take a narrow view of it," said the External Affairs Minister.

Exposing US' doublespeak, Jaishankar said, "If you look at even the US's own attitude to Chabahar in the past, the US has been appreciative of the fact that Chabahar has a larger relevance. We will work at it."

What US Said?

Within hours of New Delhi signing an agreement with Iran to operate the Chabahar Port, the United States said that it's aware of the development, warning of possible sanctions.

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel reiterated the US sanctions on Iran will remain. He said that Washington will let India speak on its foreign policy goals. “We’re aware of these reports that Iran and India have signed a deal concerning the Chabahar port. I will let the government of India speak to its own foreign policy goals vis-à-vis the Chabahar port as well as its own bilateral relationship with Iran,” said Patel at a press-conference.

India Signs Historic Deal With Iran

New Delhi on Monday signed a historic deal to operate the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar that will help it expand trade with Central Asia. This is the first time India will take over the management of an overseas port.

The long-term agreement was signed by Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) and the Port & Maritime Organisation of Iran, an official statement said. IPGL will invest about USD 120 million while another USD 250 million will be raised as debt.

India has been developing a part of Chabahar Port and discussions on the development of the port date back to 2003 during Iranian President Muhammad Khatami's visit to India. In 2013, India committed to investing USD 100 million towards the development of Chabahar Port.