Newsinc24 Team External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar asserted that US sanctions on Iran are not relevant to the Chabahar Project. During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran in May 2016, a Trilateral Agreement to establish International Transport and Transit Corridor (Chabahar Agreement) was signed by India, Iran, and Afghanistan. Replying to questions raised by Bahujan Samaj Party MP Ritesh Pandey, the Union Minister said, "the US sanctions are not relevant to this project at all," As for the BSP MP's claim that Iran has been publicly saying that the work at Chabahar port got "miserably delayed" due to US sanctions, the Minister said that the assumption was wrong., Dr Jaishankar said, this agreement was signed in 2016, but possession was taken in 2018. Since then it has handled 160 vessels and 3.2 million tonnes of bulk and general cargo.The Minister said, Chabhar Port project agreements are limited to Iran and in terms of port operations, agreement with the government of Afghanistan is not required.
Dr. Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that India has committed total grant assistance of 85 million US dollars and a credit facility of 150 million US dollars for the development of Shahid Beheshti Terminal, Chabahar port.The Minister said, the Chabarhar port has provided much-needed sea access to landlocked Afghanistan. He said, India has utilized the Chabahar port to ship 75,000 MTs of wheat as humanitarian food assistance to Afghanistan in 2020. In reply to another question, Dr Jaishankar said, with regard to NRI emigrants' job loss who have come back to India, the focus is on getting them back, in restoring their jobs, and payments due to them are given back.
