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  6.  » US lawmakers question India’s Chabahar port agreement with Iran

Hindustan Times — May 25, 2016

US senators questioned on Tuesday whether India’s development of a port in southern Iran for trade access risked violating international sanctions, while a State Department official assured them the administration will closely examine the project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pledged up to $500 million to develop the Iranian port of Chabahar, to try to give his country trade access to Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. The route is currently all but blocked by Pakistan, long at odds politically with India.

“We have been very clear with the Indians (about) continuing restrictions on activities with respect to Iran,” Nisha Desai Biswal, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, said on Tuesday.

“We have to examine the details of the Chabahar announcement to see where it falls in that place,” she testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Developing the Chabahar port was seen as crucial for India because it will not only allow New Delhi to bypass Pakistan and access global markets but also counter China’s expanding influence in the Indian Ocean region.

The United States and Europe lifted sanctions in January under a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear programme, but some restrictions to trade remain, tied to issues such as human rights and terrorism.

Biswal said she believed India’s relationship with Iran was primarily focused on economic and energy issues, and said the administration recognised India’s need for a trade route.

“From the Indian perspective, Iran represents for India a gateway into Afghanistan and Central Asia,” she said. “It needs access that it doesn’t have.”

Biswal said she had not seen any sign of Indian engagement with Iran in areas, such as military cooperation, that might be of concern to the United States.

Continues …

Comment — May 25, 2016

Indian Navy ship docks in Bandar Abbas in August 2015. Click to enlarge

Indian Navy ship docks in Bandar Abbas in August 2015. Click to enlarge

The senators worst fears may be about to materialise, as two advanced Indian frigates berthed in Bandar Abbas port in southern Iran on Tuesday.
This is the second time in less than a year that Indian warships have visited Iran. In August 2015, two F39-type frigate warships of the Indian Navy berthed in Bandar Abbas and stayed there for several days.
The two Indian Navy frigates currently in Bandar Abbas will set sail on Friday when they will conduct joint naval drills with the Iranian Navy.
Announcing the drills, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari also revealed that Iran plans to unveil new additions to its navy before the end of 2016. According to Adm. Sayyari these will include a new two new destroyers and a Fateh class submarine.