Updated: October 25, 2020 9:21:46 am
Mike Pompeo. (Proceedings)
Ahead of Indo-US ministerial meeting. 2 + 2 As of Monday, the Trump administration has told the Indian government that its development of the Chabahar port in Iran will not be affected by U.S. sanctions on 18 major Iranian banks, The Sunday Express has learned.
This becomes important as the Trump administration, which attended the elections on November 3, has been extremely tough on Iran, but has made this exception with New Delhi.
The message about the development of the Chabahar port was communicated by Washington to New Delhi through diplomatic channels on October 12.
It came amid US Treasury sanctions on 18 major Iranian banks and a 45-day liquidation period starting October 8; This requires all non-US people to reduce activities and transactions with the Iranian financial sector and institutions. It had caused apprehension in New Delhi, and the Indian government had approached Washington about the fate of the Chabahar port development.
Eager to remove wrinkles ahead of the Indo-American 2 + 2 ministerial meeting in person, the United States has sought to mitigate India’s concerns regarding the port of Chabahar.
The US administration told New Delhi that the sale of agricultural products, food, drugs and medical devices to Iran, by both Americans and non-Americans, is allowed. Furthermore, exemptions granted by the US State Department and exceptions in US law that allow for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan are known to remain valid.
Read also | Monitoring the problem between India and China, I do not want the situation to escalate: Senior US official
This has taken one of the controversial issues off the table: US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark T Esper will fly to New Delhi to meet with their counterparts, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs, S Jaishankar, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, on October 26 -27.
The fact that they are visiting days before the US elections indicates the importance Washington attaches to Indo-US ties and shows bipartisan support for strengthening ties with New Delhi. A changing of the guard in the US presidency, if Joe Biden wins, may witness a change in US policy toward Iran.
Humanitarian assistance through the port of Chabahar has been one of the key elements of India’s strategy in Afghanistan. India sent a full shipment of 75,000 MT (metric tons) of wheat as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan on September 28, which arrived in Chabahar on September 30. The port has played a central role in transshipment.
The assistance of 75,000 metric tons of wheat was shipped entirely from the port of Kandla to Afghanistan within five months through the port of Chabahar in 10 shipments and 3,237 containers. The first ship left the port of Kandla on April 10 this year, carrying 5,022 MT of wheat in 203 containers.
This humanitarian gesture was intended to ensure food safety during the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The port of Chabahar has become the region’s “connecting point” to provide humanitarian assistance during the pandemic. The port, the sources said, is a symbol of India’s people-centered diplomatic approach.
It was for this reason that the United States granted an exemption to India from the sanctions at the Chabahar port, as it recognizes that this project is a lifeline for Afghanistan to receive humanitarian supplies from India.
India also sent 20,000 liters of ‘Malathion 96% ULV’ pesticide to help Iran deal with the locust crisis. The pesticide shipment arrived at the port of Chabahar and was delivered to Iran on July 14.
The pesticide was used by the Plant Protection Organization (PPO) under Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture to stop the spread of desert locusts to Iran and their further movement eastward to Pakistan and India.
Along with wheat shipments, the port of Chabahar also witnessed the transshipment of 1,890 tons of sugar from India to Afghanistan on August 26. The port has also helped Afghan and Iranian individuals and companies ship their products to Southeast Asia.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
.
