India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday reacted to the US withdrawal of the sanctions waiver that allowed India to develop Iran’s Chabahar port, saying it was “examining its implications” for New Delhi."We have seen the US press statement regarding the revocation of the sanctions waiver for Chabahar Port. We are presently examining its implications for India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told the media, Hindustan Times reported.The US move to end the sanctions waiver given to India for Iran's Chabahar Port threatens New Delhi's $500 million investment and its bid to reach Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan. President Donald Trump's decision jeopardizes India's first overseas port project and undermines the Chabahar port, the strategic counter to Pakistan's Gwadar port run by China.The US has announced it will revoke the waiver of sanctions granted to India on Iran's Chabahar Port, ending the special exemption granted in 2018 during Trump’s first tenure. The exemption had allowed India to operate and develop a trade terminal in the port city on Iran's Makoran coast. The move, part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure on Iran” policy, is another setback for India’s plans to develop Chabahar, which has already faced delays due to wider US sanctions on Tehran.The US State Department said that starting September 29, persons operating Chabahar Port and engaging in related activities would face sanctions under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA).Diplomacy recommendedIn Tehran, Alireza Nesari, a member of Iran’s parliamentary committee on infrastructure, urged diplomatic efforts to prevent the waiver’s cancellation. “The main solution is to definitely use diplomacy to ensure this does not happen,” he told ILNA.Nesari stressed that Chabahar and other free trade zone ports provide a platform for balanced national development and support for investments facilitated by exemptions. “If these exemptions are undermined and current conditions are affected, it will definitely have a negative impact on the regional and national economy,” he said.He added that sanctions are a reality Iran must accept, but the case of Chabahar is different because it involves international investment. “I believe it is still possible through diplomacy to reach at least some assurances so that we do not face such conditions,” Nesari said. (ICE TEHERAN)

Fonte notizia: IRAN DAILY