Iranian port project poses a dilemma for the US
Iranian port project poses a dilemma for the US
A port that is developing in the city of Chabahar, in southern Iran, highlights some of the dilemmas faced by policymakers in the United States when implementing sanctions against Tehran.
Strategically located in the Gulf of Oman and named for a revolutionary Iranian war hero, the Shahid Beheshti Port is exactly the kind of Iranian economic development that the Trump administration wants to stop with the sanctions that will come into effect on November 5.
Those measures are aimed at punishing Iran for what the United States considers to be unacceptable behavior in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere. They follow the decision of the Trump government this year to withdraw from an international agreement with Iran in 2015 to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Strategic location
US sanctions on Iran could undermine the development of a port in Chabahar that is expected to boost trade in the region.
Once completed, the port, a small part of which started its initial operations in December, could help Iran by strengthening economic ties with South and Central Asia, providing an export point for its oil beyond of the Persian Gulf and functioning as a strategic military asset.
But it could also be a critical economic lifeline for Afghanistan, where the United States has tried for 16 years to strengthen and stabilize the government so that thousands of American soldiers can return home.
The port could also be a great help for India, an increasingly close partner of the United States in Asia. India wants the port activities of Chabahar to be exempt from sanctions. Indian companies are mostly equipping and operating the facilities. If the port is completed, they are expected to be among the port's largest users to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, something that the Trump government has asked India to get more involved in and establish a stronger economic presence in Asia. Central.
"Such a strong case must be presented in terms of India's ability to create communications and transport lines to Afghanistan," said Richard Rossow, an expert on South Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "But you never know if it will awaken interest in the White House one day and suddenly things change."
The sanctions law allows the president to grant exemptions for projects designed to help rebuild Afghanistan, a way the development of the port could continue. The Trump administration has not decided whether to grant exemptions, but has said that the intention of the sanctions is not to punish Afghanistan or India.
Iranian, Indian and high-level Afghan officials have also been moving among their respective capitals in recent months to find ways to continue the work, even if exemptions are not granted. This may include making payments through a mechanism that European countries are trying to design to continue doing business with Iran despite the sanctions of the United States.
The port of Chabahar has long been seen as a potential form of Pakistan, a sworn enemy of India that believes that dominating Afghanistan is fundamental to its own security.
Pakistan has stifled trade between India and Afghanistan throughout its territory. He wants Afghanistan to eventually transport goods through a competing Pakistani port in the Gulf of Oman that is developing with China.
This has greatly complicated the access that Afghan traders and farmers have to the huge and growing Indian market, while hampering India's efforts to move forward in Afghanistan and beyond in Central Asia. Meanwhile, Pakistan has had a tense relationship with the current Afghan government, while it was accused by the Afghan, American and Indian governments of supporting the Taliban, which are fighting an insurgency against him. Pakistan refuses to provide support.
The port of Chabahar offers Afghanistan, without exit to the sea, an alternative route to and from the sea, an India and Iran have been eager to develop. In fact, roads have been built from the port to the north through Iran to the border with Afghanistan and to Afghanistan to connect with the roads built there in recent years with international assistance.
As part of an agreement with Iran in May 2016, the Indian government agreed to pay $ 85 million to buy equipment and operate the port through a consortium of Indian companies led by India Ports Global. On the other hand, New Delhi will also make available another $ 150 million in soft loans to develop the port. While Iran is only developing the port, India has the responsibility to buy all the equipment required for the port. It would also operate the two terminals for 10 years.
"We have shared our concerns with the United States," said an Indian official who has been involved in the issue. "If India should play a better role in the economic empowerment of Afghanistan, Chabahar will be an important element."
For Western countries concerned about counteracting the growing Russian and Chinese participation in Central Asia, Chabahar also opens a door for India to extend its economic and political influence through Afghanistan and beyond.
"India has no other way to enter Central Asia," said Christine Fair, an expert in South Asia at Georgetown University.
Iran, India and Afghanistan signed an agreement in May 2016 to facilitate and simplify the shipment of goods to and from Afghanistan through the port. India has sent seven shipments containing 110,000 metric tons of wheat, 2,000 tons of edible seeds such as lentils, as well as spare parts for large vehicles needed for reconstruction and mining work in Afghanistan.
Trade could eventually flow in the other direction to open international markets to Afghan fruit and vegetable producers and, someday, be a major route through which Afghanistan's vast mineral reserves could be sent to global buyers. That could help Afghanistan stop opium cultivation, its most lucrative cash crop, as well as gain greater independence from Pakistan.
"If you stop Chabahar, you make Afghanistan permanently dependent on Pakistan," said Barnett Rubin, an expert at the University of New York in South Asia, who has advised Western governments on policies in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.
-Aresu Eqbali
Contributed to this article.
Write to Bill Spindle in bill.spindle@wsj.com and Rajesh Roy in rajesh.roy@wsj.com
.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',
'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');
fbq('init', '369524843414444');
fbq('track', 'PageView');
.
SOURCE LINK ERESVIRAL.COM https://www.beviral.online
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario