India’s push on Iran’s Chabahar puts US in tight corner

India and Afghanistan have signaled their commitment to the development of Iran’s strategic Chabahar port on the Sea of Oman ahead of a Thursday meeting with the US which is pushing for economic strangulation of Tehran.

Afghan deputy minister for foreign affairs Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and Iranian deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi met in New Delhi Tuesday to discuss a whole gamut of issues related to the project.

“The meeting focused on consolidating economic cooperation, including Chabahar,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.

They also discussed enhancing cooperation on counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and continuing support to the peace and reconciliation process that is led and owned by Afghanistan, it added.