India-Afghanistan relations just got a big, big boost.
Addressing a press conference, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that, after talks, the Trump administration has granted a 6 months waiver on US sanctions on Chabahar port in Iran.
Why is the sanction waiver good for Indo-Afghan ties? | 101
India, in May of last year, signed a 10-year contract with Iran to develop and operate Chabahar port on its southeastern coast in the Gulf of Oman. The port is central to India gaining access to Iran and central Asian countries, bypassing our oh-so-friendly neighbour, Pakistan.
Importantly, Chabahar port is key to India revitalising economic ties with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Being a landlocked nation, Afghanistan is heavily reliant on neighbour Pakistan’s ports to conduct a bulk of its trade. Given that Pakistan has not been playing nice of late, in order to secure its long-term economic stability, Kabul was looking for ways to reduce its dependence on Islamabad.
It was here that India offered to help Afghanistan out. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?
But last month, the US revoked the sanctions waiver for Chabahar that was initially granted in 2018, as part of its effort to put “maximum pressure” on Iran. The US was looking to isolate Tehran for what it called the Islamic Republic’s destabilising activities in support of its nuclear programmes.
However, in a bid to seal a trade deal with India, the Trump administration has now decided to waive the sanctions.
