The United States has threatened possible sanctions against New Delhi, hours after India signed a 10-year deal to operate Tehran’s Chabahar port. Washington says sanctions could be imposed against any country considering doing business with Iran.
A preliminary agreement was reached between Tehran and New Delhi in 2016 to develop the strategically important Chabahar port near the border with Pakistan and Iran. India on Monday signed a long-term agreement with Iran to develop and operate the port. India’s shipping minister called the deal a “historic moment in India-Iran relations”.

However, the US did not take India’s agreement with Iran well. Washington has imposed more than 600 sanctions against Iran-related organizations and individuals in the past three years.

Asked about the deal at a news conference on Tuesday, US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedanta Patel said US sanctions on Iran remain in place and Washington will continue to enforce them.
He said, “Any individual or organization—anyone contemplating doing business with Iran; They should be aware of the potential risk that they are exposing themselves to the potential risk of sanctions.”

However, no response has been given by India so far regarding this statement by Washington.

At the end of 2018, India took over the operation of Iran’s Chabahar port. The port opens a new transit route for transporting and supplying Indian goods to Afghanistan and Central-Asia, bypassing the Pakistani land route. Officials say that so far 2.5 lakh tonnes of wheat and 2 thousand tonnes of pulses have been sent from India to Afghanistan through Chabahar port.