The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that India has been granted a six-month waiver on the sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran’s Chabahar port.

On September 16, Washington revoked the sanctions waiver for the port, ending an exemption granted to India in 2018.

The Chabahar port, particularly the Shahid Beheshti terminal, has been under the operational control of an Indian entity since 2018. Considered a crucial link for regional connectivity, it allows India to bypass Pakistan to access Afghanistan and Central Asia, facilitating trade and humanitarian aid.

In May, New Delhi and Tehran signed a 10-year contract to develop and operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal.

On Thursday, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that trade talks between India and the United States were continuing.

This came amid tensions between New Delhi and Washington over the US decision to impose “reciprocal” tariffs on Indian goods and punitive levies on imports of Russian oil.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly alleged that India’s purchases were helping to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The combined tariff rate for India is 50%. A 25% so-called reciprocal duty was imposed on August 7, followed by an additional 25% punitive levy on August 27.

After the punitive levies were announced, New Delhi had said it was “extremely unfortunate” that the US had chosen to impose additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.

Recently, however, trade talks between the two countries have gained fresh momentum.

A team of Indian officials led by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal visited Washington DC earlier this month to hold trade negotiations with the US.

Last month, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had also led a delegation to New York for trade talks.

India rejects OIC statement on J&K

On Thursday, Jaiswal also said that New Delhi has rejected recent remarks by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation about Kashmir, stating that the body had “no locus standi to speak on matters internal to India”.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an intergovernmental organisation with 57 member states that aims to be the collective voice of the Muslim world.

The general secretariat of the organisation released a statement on Monday reiterating its “solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their legitimate quest for the right to self-determination”.

It also urged India to respect the fundamental human rights of the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

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