Chabahar, oil and peace-peace .. India’s eye on these 3 reasons on the nuclear deal between America and Iran

Negotiations are going on between the US and Iran regarding the nuclear deal. In 2018, US President Donald Trump, who took out America from one such deal in 2018, is trying for a new deal in his second term. US Special Envoy Steve Witchoff has clearly stated that if Tehran has to make a deal with Washington, then its nuclear enrichment program ie nuclear enrichment program will have to be stopped and finished. Iran will have to stop the activities related to enricing its uranium and in return it will get relief from American sanctions. The question is why India will be monitoring the talks of these two countries, if America removes its economic sanctions on Iran, then what will be the benefit to India.

Chabahar port factor

The Chabahar project is very important for India to reach Central Asia by bypassing Pakistan. The imagination of making the Chabahar port in Iran together was done in 2003 but this project could not start for years because the US and the United Nations had banned Tehran on its nuclear program.

In 2015, the immediate US President Barack Obama relaxed the sanctions after the nuclear deal with Iran. In the same year, India signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran on the Chabahar port, and it was implemented during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Iran in 2016. But when the US nuclear deal under Trump’s leadership in 2018 was unilaterally withdrawn, Iran was banned again. But India continued to work on Chabahar and survived the US sanctions.

To understand why any nuclear deal is important between the US and Iran for India, we spoke to former India Ambassador (2011-15) DP Srivastava in Iran. During his tenure, he led a conversation with Iran on Indian participation in Chabahar port. He said that any agreement between Iran and the US will reduce tension between the two and this situation will make way for India to re -work on the Chabahar project. Also, it will also provide access to India to the International North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) through Chabahar port.

Significantly, Chabahar port is important for India’s transport connectivity schemes. The biggest thing is that it provides an alternative route for Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan, allowing us to trade better with Central Asia. It is also expected that Chabahar’s International North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) will be connected to Europe through Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. This corridor will be an alternative to the Suez Gynee Route and will reduce the time and money spent on intercontinental trade when it is completely operational. China has also built a port in Gwadar, Pakistan, barely 200 km away from Chabahar port.

Oil import factor from Iran

At present, India does not import crude oil from Iran due to US sanctions. But before these sanctions, Iran was one of the top 3 countries from where India used to ask for crude oil. According to the report of The New Indian Express, in late February, the US had banned more than 30 companies, ships and individuals worldwide on the charge of involvement in Iranian oil trade and transport- it also included two businessmen and 2 companies of India. India hopes that once the US ban is lifted after the nuclear deal, the import of oil from Iran will be resumed.

Qamar Aga said that the oil coming from Iran is cheaper for India because the transport charge falls less on it.

India will always want peace in the neighborhood

According to Qamar Aga, Iran is very close to India. Before the formation of Pakistan, we used to border with Iran. Today, if a nuclear weapon is built in Iran, then tomorrow Saudi Arabia will also build, Egypt will also make and look Turkish. China and Pakistan already have such weapons. It is the stand of the Government of India that if Iran has made nuclear weapons today, it will be seen that there will be nuclear proliferation all over South Asia. India does not want any war, Iran is a friendly country for India but it would never want Iran to make nuclear weapons. It is Iran’s official stand that it is not making a nuclear weapon but its nuclear program is only to meet its energy needs. Also, India has always been against unilateral sanctions. He would like in every situation to have an agreement through talks between the US and Iran.

Also read: What nuclear deal does America want from Iran? Trump showing military power, special messenger changed the stand