Intel: Why the US is allowing India to develop an Iranian port
Even as it seeks to cut off Iran from the world economy, the Donald Trump administration acknowledged today that it will allow India to continue developing the Iranian port of Chabahar, an alternative South Asian trade route to the congested Suez Canal. The reason, in a word: Afghanistan.
Why it matters: While the United States seeks to isolate Iran, it’s trying not to choke off neighboring Afghanistan, which would benefit from an influx of food and medicines via a rail link that India is building to Chabahar. Some experts were quick to applaud today’s news. “Chabahar port can help America’s Indian and Afghan friends in a big way,” tweeted Michael Kugelman, a senior associate at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank.
