US to end sanctions waivers for Iranian port in action impacting India
The US will revoke sanctions waivers for Iran’s Chabahar port project, the White House announced, threatening the narrow exemption from sanctions that President Donald Trump granted to India during his first term in 2018.
Without naming India, the White House issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (‘NSPM-2’)’ on 4 February, directing the State Department to ‘modify or rescind sanctions waivers, particularly those that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief, including those related to Iran’s Chabahar port project.’
Last May, when India signed a ten-year agreement with Iran to develop and operate Chabahar, the State Department did not name New Delhi when it warned, ‘Any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions.’
Trump’s new directive orders federal agencies to eliminate Iran’s oil exports and deny the regime funding for its nuclear programme and regional proxies. The State Department is specifically tasked with driving ‘Iran’s export of oil to zero, including exports of Iranian crude to the People’s Republic of China.’
‘Iran’s nuclear program…poses an existential danger to the United States and the entire civilized world,’ the directive stated, citing Iran’s concealment of nuclear sites and obstruction of international inspectors.
The memorandum also orders agencies to prevent sanctions evasion through Iraq’s financial system and ensure ‘that Gulf countries are not used as sanctions evasion transshipment points.’
