Chabahar port project not affected by US sanctions: Jaishankar

New Delhi, Dec 10 India's Chabahar port project in Iran does not come within the ambit of the US sanctions on the country, the Parliament was told on Friday.

Responding to question by BSP Lok Sabha member Ritesh Pandey on the impact of US sanctions on Iran on the project, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishnkar said this agreement was signed in 2016, and possession was taken in 2018.

"Terminal is fully functional and US sanctions are not relevant to this project at all," he said.

As Pandey said that he was told that Iranian government was saying that Chabahar port project has been miserably delayed because of the sanction, and it was learnt that the China is trying to take the rail project after the US sanctions, Jaishankar said that all this was totally untrue.

"The terminal is fully functional and recently we have shipped six cranes for the port," he said.

Jaishankar also informed the House that all agreements on Chabahar port operations are limited to Iran.

Replying to a question on the job loss due to Covid-19 and on the NRIs who have come back to India due to the pandemic, Jaishankar said: "Our focus is on getting them back, in restoring their jobs, and payments due to them are given."