India hopes frosty ties between Iran, US won't hurt Chabahar project: MEA

India Economy

India said it hoped that the frosty ties between Iran and the US would not hurt the Chabahar port project as it provided an alternative route to not only Afghanistan but also Central Asia.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had made clear India's position on the issue and also elucidated on how the relations between the two countries would grow despite the sanctions.

Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of Iran, held wide-ranging talks with Swaraj last week during which he sought India's support in salvaging Iran's nuclear deal with leading world powers in the wake of the US pullout from it. India's oil trade with Iran and implementation of the Chabahar port project also figured prominently in the talks.

"For Chabahar, we have expressed our position in this regard. We have told them (Iran) that it is our hope and expectation that the project would not be impacted by these developments. We have told them that Chabahar provides an alternative access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, which we have used to supply wheat in Afghanistan.

"The success of this project will contribute to our objective of peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan and this objective is also used by the US," Kumar said.

Kumar added that India's position on Iran's nuclear programme is that Tehran has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.