The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India remains in touch with the United States to work out arrangements related to the sanctions waiver for Iran’s Chabahar port. Responding to reports that India’s
role in developing the strategic port had effectively collapsed, the MEA said the United States Department of the Treasury issued a letter on October 28, 2025, outlining guidance on a conditional sanctions waiver that remains valid until April 26, 2026.
“As you are aware, on 28 October 2025, the US Department of Treasury had issued a letter outlining the guidance on the conditional sanctions waiver valid till 26 April 2026,” the MEA said, adding, “We remain engaged with the US side in working out this arrangement.”
The clarification follows an Economic Times report that said India’s strategic play at Chabahar port had been severely undermined after US President Donald Trump said on January 12 that any country doing business with Iran would face a 25 per cent tariff on all trade with the United States.
The United States reimposed sanctions on Chabahar port from September 29, 2025. However, based on details submitted by India on how it planned to wind down activities at the port, including at the Shahid Beheshti terminal, the Office of Foreign Assets Control granted a six-month exemption. The waiver came into effect on October 29, 2025 and remains valid until April 26 this year.
The MEA also said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had spoken to Iran’s foreign minister, during which the Iranian side shared developments from the recent past related to Chabahar port.
The United States has imposed and tightened sanctions on Iran largely as part of a long-running effort to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and limit its influence in the region. Washington withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)- the nuclear deal- and reimposed wide-ranging economic penalties, arguing that Iran’s nuclear programme and related activities were not sufficiently constrained and posed a proliferation threat.
Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign has included tariffs on countries trading with Iran, asset freezes and restrictions on Iranian oil exports.
