تمدید معافیت هند از تحریم‌های بندر چابهار؛ فرصت تازه برای تجارت افغانستان

Chabahar, one of Iran’s most important strategic trade corridors for India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, had previously been fully sanctioned under an executive order by the U.S. President.

However, Indian government sources have told local media that the United States has extended India’s sanctions waiver to operate through Chabahar Port until early next year.

According to reports, the extension of this waiver allows India to continue sending humanitarian and essential aid to Afghanistan via Chabahar and maintain trade routes independent of Pakistan.

Seyar Quraishi, an economic affairs analyst, shared his perspective: “Chabahar provides Afghanistan with direct sea access via Iran and reduces our dependence on Pakistan. We have long faced political and trade-related challenges with Pakistan, including multiple violations of the APTTA agreement. Additionally, this port could significantly reduce trade costs.”

Given that Pakistan has closed all of its commercial ports to Afghanistan, the country increasingly needs alternative routes like Chabahar.

Afghanistan’s private sector has welcomed India’s move, stating that the country can increase the annual volume of goods transported through this route.

Jan Agha Naveed, spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: “Fortunately, significant infrastructure has been developed along this route, and Afghan traders are now conducting business with India via Chabahar. The extension of these waivers gives us renewed hope for expanding trade through this corridor.”

Khalid Rahmani, spokesperson for the Kabul Dried Fruit Exporters Union, also noted: “The new waiver on Chabahar has helped facilitate import and export operations through this port. It has the capacity to handle over one million containers annually, and we hope issues like the shortage of refrigerated containers which cause shipment delays will soon be resolved.”

This comes after the U.S., on September 29, revoked all previous waivers on Chabahar as part of sweeping sanctions against Iran, stating that all trade through the port would henceforth be subject to American sanctions.