'US shouldn't take narrow view of Chabahar Port deal': Jaishankar on sanction warning

Responding US' reaction to the Chahbahar port deal, India's foreign minister Jaishankar on Tuesday said that taking a "narrow view" of the agreement should be avoided.

He further said that the US had appreciated the relevance of the Chabahar Port in the past.

Earlier, the Biden administration warned of the "potential risk of sanctions" on those entities who are considering business deals with Iran.

"I did see some of the remarks which were made, but I think it's a question of communicating, convincing, and getting people to understand, that this is actually for everyone's benefit. I don't think people should take a narrow view of it," he said at the launch of the Bangla edition of his book 'Why Bharat Matters' in Kolkata.

"They have not done so in the past. So, if you look at the US' own attitude towards the port in Chabahar, the US has been appreciative of the fact that Chabahar has a larger relevance... we will work at it," he added.

Earlier, deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, Vedant Patel said, "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-a-vis the Chabahar port as well as its own bilateral relationship with Iran."

"I will just say, as it relates to the United States, US sanctions on Iran remain in place and we'll continue to enforce them," he added.

When asked if Indian firms are also at risk of being sanctioned by the US, Patel said, "Any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions."

The Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman - which New Delhi had proposed to develop way back in 2003 - will provide Indian goods a gateway to reach landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia using a road and rail project called International North-South Transport Corridor, bypassing Pakistan.

Also read | US warns India of sanctions over Chabahar port deal