PM Narendra Modi with Iranian President Hassan Rouhan during the signing of port pact in Tehran, Iran. PTI file

Washington, May 25

The US is “watching very closely” India’s growing ties with Iran after it recently pledged $500 million for developing the Chabahar port and will see if its legal parameters and requirements are being met, the Obama administration has told lawmakers.As of now, there is no military or counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries that could be a cause for concern for the US, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)She said the US is “watching very closely” India’s relationship with Iran. “We also track very closely what their economic engagement is and make sure they understand what we believe are legal parameters and requirements,” Biswal said.“With respect to the announcement in the Chabahar port, we have been very clear with the Indians on what we believe are the continuing restrictions on the activities with respect to Iran and what we have done,” she said. She was responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Iran visit from Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday. Modi’s visit, that saw the signing of a bilateral pact to develop the Chabahar port for which India will invest $500 million, came months after the lifting of international sanctions on Iran following Tehran’s historic nuclear deal with the western powers over its contentious atomic programme.“Obviously nothing appears to be in violations of our agreements. But how do we see India as partner in fighting extremism and financing terrorism?” said Cardin as he expressed concerns that India’s economic relationship with Iran would further boost Tehran’s alleged activities to support various terrorist groups. She said India’s burgeoning ties with Iran were driven by ever-growing energy needs and using the Persian Gulf nation as a gateway into Afghanistan and Central Asia.Biswal in her answer said: “They (Indians) have been very responsive and receptive to our briefings, to what we believe the line is. And we have to examine the details of the Chabahar announcement to see where it falls in that place. “But with respect to India’s relationship with Iran, which I do believe is primarily focused on economics and energy issues, we do recognise that from the Indian perspective that Iran represents for India a gateway into Afghanistan and Central Asia.”“For India to be able to contribute to the economic development of Afghanistan, it needs access that it does not readily have across its land boundary. And India is seeking to deepen its energy relationship with the Central Asian countries and looking for routes that would facilitate that. “That said we have been very clear with the Indians what our security concerns have been and we would continue to engage them on those issues,” said the US official. — PTI

Port pact to ‘counter’ China-Pak alliance

New Delhi, May 25

The pact between India and Iran to develop the strategically located Chabahar port, along with the one with Afghanistan on road and rail network, will counter China and Pakistan’s alliance in South West Asia, BMI Research said today.“The agreement between India and Iran to develop the latter’s port of Chabahar is a major boost for both countries, as well as Afghanistan. In particular, growing co-operation between the three countries will counterbalance China-Pakistan alliance in the geopolitics of South West Asia,” it said.BMI Research, a Fitch Group company, said the governments of India, Iran and Afghanistan have taken a significant step towards closer cooperation by signing an agreement on May 23 to develop Iran’s southern port of Chabahar.“Once the port is developed, it will provide a major boost for Indo-Iranian trade, and also provide a new route for Afghanistan’s exports, bypassing Pakistan.“In particular, the new port at Chabahar is designed to compete with Pakistan’s port of Gwadar, which is being developed with Chinese assistance as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” it added.The CPEC in turn is part of a much bigger Chinese initiative known as “One Belt One Road” (OBOR), which envisages new land and sea routes connecting China to Western Eurasia and East Africa. Iran stands to benefit from Chabahar as it will get an enhanced port from which to export more goods to India and the Asia-Pacific region at a time when it is seeking to reintegrate itself into the global economy, the BMI Research said. Iran will also benefit from increased Indian investment.The pacts include one on setting up of an aluminium plant and another on laying a railway line to give India access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. — PT