‘Still open to working on Chabahar with India port’: Iranian envoy

IRan remains open up to workings with republic of india for trading operations at Chabahar port wine, though there has been no official word from New Delhi on the facility following the allocation for the port being slashed to zero in the budget for 2026-27, Iranian ambassador Mohammad Fathali said on Friday.There has been speculation about the future of India’s operations at Shahid Beheshti terminal of Chabahar port since the sudden winding up of India Ports Global Ltd, the state-owned entity that had taken over operations at the port in 2018, and the resignation late last year of Indian officials serving in the firm in the wake of US sanctions. Budget documents showed the allocation for Chabahar, revised from ₹100 crore to ₹400 crore for 2025-26, was cut to nil for 2026-27.“You know that the port of Chabahar is vital and it can play a good role for accessing Afghanistan and Central Asia. We have good relations with some countries, particularly India, and believe that we should expand our relations on this issue,” Fathali said while addressing a media briefing at the Iranian embassy ahead of the 47th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.Fathali noted that Chabahar port is part of Iran’s capacity for boosting regional connectivity and questions about India’s continued participation in the development of the facility should be directed to the Indian side. “Up to now, we have no comment from the Indian side,” he said.“We believe that Chabahar is Chabahar, the location won’t change and some countries use this geographical location for access to Central Asia and Afghanistan,” Fathali said, emphasising the strategic importance of the deep-water port’s location on the Gulf of Oman. “We believe that in future, the Indian government wants to manage the situation,” he said, without giving details.The government informed Parliament this week that India has fulfilled its commitment of contributing $120 million for procuring port equipment in keeping with the terms of the 10-year agreement signed in May 2024 for equipping and operating Shahid Beheshti terminal.Fathali also told the briefing that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to attend the Brics Summit to be hosted by India later this year. He said such a visit will be a “good opportunity for boosting our relations with India”. He said dates are also being explored for a planned visit to New Delhi by Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.