Jul 21, 2026 14:06 pm IST

Opinion | US Attack On Chabahar, And Why It's Time India Stopped Playing By Others' Whims

As the US destroys Chabahar in Iran, one thing is clear: India cannot wait eternally for the whims of others to do what is vital for its own interests.

Aditi Bhaduri Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

The US Central Command on Friday confirmed on a post on X that "on July 16, US forces successfully destroyed the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port surveillance tower, part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran's Gulf of Oman coastline used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz".

The Ministry of External Affairs immediately assuaged fears about damage to India's interests at the port site. India has invested in developing the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port. But the reignition of the conflict once again puts India's plans and ambitions under a cloud.

Ill-Fated From The Beginning

Ever since the Chabahar port project was first mooted, it had been plagued by uncertainties stemming from Western sanctions on Iran. The nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the 'JCPOA') between Iran on one hand and the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, Germany, and the European Union on the other, provided a brief respite. Nonetheless, India went ahead and, in 2016, signed a trilateral agreement with Iran and Afghanistan for the port, earmarking USD 500 million for the development of the Shahid Beheshti terminal. Since 2018, the port's operations have been managed by the New Delhi-backed India Ports Global Limited (IPGL). 

However, in his first term, as US President Donald Trump pulled out of the JCPOA, sanctions on Iran came back. Still, given the port's usefulness in sending supplies to Afghanistan from India, bypassing Pakistan, Trump perhaps felt incentivised to waive sanctions on it, and India could continue with its engagement and outreach to Afghanistan. In 2024, India even announced that it was signing a 10-year contract with Iran for........

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