Chabahar Port: India Gets Six-Month US Sanctions Waiver
Why in the news
India has secured a six-month waiver from US sanctions for operations at Iran’s Chabahar Port. The relief covers the period from October 2025 to April 2026 and follows the withdrawal of the earlier exemption in September 2025.
Key facts
- Waiver period: October 2025 to April 2026 (six months).
- Earlier exemption: revoked in September 2025, which left entities linked to the port open to penalties under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act, 2012.
- Location: Sistan-Baluchestan province of Iran, on the Gulf of Oman close to the Strait of Hormuz.
- Distinction: described as Iran’s only oceanic, deep-water port, with direct access to the Indian Ocean.
- Terminals: Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari.
- Indian operator: India Ports Global Ltd. (IPGL) manages Shahid Beheshti, having formally taken over in 2018.
About Chabahar and the INSTC
The port is a key node of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a trade route linking India with Iran, the Caspian Sea region, Russia and Europe. It is also seen as India’s strategic answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, since it sits roughly 170 km west of Pakistan’s Gwadar Port.
| Milestone | Year |
|---|---|
| First India-Iran development agreement | 2005 |
| MoU on terminal development | 2015 |
| India-Iran-Afghanistan trilateral agreement | 2016 |
| India takes over Shahid Beheshti through IPGL | 2018 |
Exam angle
- Remember the province, sea and terminal names for factual questions.
- Link Chabahar with INSTC and with connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
- Note the September 2025 revocation followed by an October-April waiver.