Jaishankar responds to US' sanction warning over India-Iran Chabahar deal: 'People shouldn't take narrow view of it'

Speaking at an event in Kolkata, Jaishankar said, "I think it's a question of communicating, convincing and getting people to understand that this is actually for everybody's benefit. I don't think people should take a narrow view of it and they have not done so in the past.

"If you look at the US' own attitude to Chabahar in the past, the US has been appreciative of the fact that the Chabahar has a larger elegance so we will work at it."

Jaishankar earlier claimed the deal will pave the way for more investments and linkages from the sea port.

Eyeing an expansion of trade, India entered into a 10-year deal with Iran on Chabahar port, which is located in the southeastern coast of Iran along the Gulf of Oman.

Earlier, a pact between India and Iran was signed in 2016 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tehran.

The matter also popped up during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's latest visit to Iran in January 2024.

Responding to the deal, US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, told India Today, "We are generally having sanctions, with some rare exceptions, where there's a strategic interest.

"But, most businesses should be aware of those risks of interacting with Iran as it exports terrorism, as it directly attacks another sovereign nation, as we saw recently."