India has been granted a six-month exemption on US sanctions on its strategic Chabahar port project in Iran, a key gateway to landlocked Afghanistan, New Delhi's foreign ministry said.  New Delhi and Tehran last year signed a contract to develop and equip the long-stalled Chabahar project, giving India 10 years of access.  But Washington slapped sanctions on the project, as part of moves to squeeze Tehran over its nuclear programme, which came into effect in September. 

Under US law, companies had to exit Chabahar or risk having any US-based assets frozen and US transactions barred.  India, which is locked in wider trade negotiations with Washington, said sanctions had been paused.  "I can confirm that we have been granted exemption for a six-month period on American sanctions," India's foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi.  He said the exemption came in "recent days", meaning the pause would stretch until April 2026. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)