Although the original Chabahar Port Agreement between India and Iran was signed in 2003, US sanctions have consistently slowed progress on a major project linking India through Iran to Afghanistan and Central Asia. File | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphotos
With a US sanctions waiver for Iran’s Chabahar port set to expire on Sunday (April 26, 2026), the government faces a major test of strategic autonomy as it may have to choose whether to abandon the 23-year-old port project or face US sanctions.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials have been discussing the issue with their US counterparts since October 2025, when Washington extended the waiver by six months to April 26, 2026 to give India time to “wind down” the project. In light of the US-Iran war and a series of US measures targeting Iran under the US Treasury Department’s Operation “Economic Fury”, officials said that they did not hope for another extension.
Published – 25 Apr 2026 21:48 IST
