Is India’s Chabahar dream in Iran dead?
India's strategic and economic ambitions centered on the Chabahar Port in Iran are at risk after the expiration of a US sanctions waiver, jeopardizing its connectivity plans with Afghanistan and Central Asia. The port was intended to bypass Pakistan and counterbalance China's influence through the nearby Gwadar Port. With US pressure on Iran intensifying, India's ability to sustain its investment and access the region faces significant uncertainty.
- ▪India invested at least $120 million in the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar Port to facilitate trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia.
- ▪The expiration of a US sanctions waiver has halted India's operations and development plans at the port.
- ▪Chabahar is a key node in the International North-South Transport Corridor, linking India to Russia via Iran.
- ▪India views Chabahar as a strategic counter to China's Gwadar Port, located about 140km east in Pakistan.
- ▪US sanctions on Iran, part of a 'maximum pressure' campaign, have repeatedly disrupted India's efforts to develop the port since 2003.
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EXPLAINERFeatures|US-Israel war on IranIs India’s Chabahar dream in Iran dead?The port has been a centrepiece of India’s regional strategic ambitions. Now, those hopes are sinking after a US sanctions waiver expired.ListenListen (8 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA cargo ship sails through the Shahid Beheshti terminal in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure on February 25, 2019 Atta Kenare/AFP]By Yashraj SharmaPublished On 29 Apr 202629 Apr 2026New Delhi, India — Relations between the United States and India are at a crossroads yet again: this time, over New Delhi’s decade-long investment in…
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