Iran dismisses report of 'dropping' India from Chabahar railway project

Iran has refuted an Indian newspaper report claiming that New Delhi had been "dropped" from the Chabahar-Zahedan railway project.

One of the deputies to Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, Farhad Montaser said the story was "totally false because Iran has not inked any deal with India regarding the Chabahar-Zahedan" railway, reported Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

"Iran has only signed two agreements with Indians for investment in Chabahar: one is related to the port's machinery and equipment, and the second is related to India's investment to the tune of $150 million," Montaser was quoted by an Iran news agency.

He summed up by saying that "sanctions have nothing to do to Iran-India's cooperation in Chabahar".

The United States, in 2018, had agreed to a waiver on Chabahar port projects under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) of 2012.

Earlier, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani had described the port as a "vital part of structuring Iran's economic future".

The Indian public sector railway company Ircon International has pledged to provide all services and funding for the project, estimated at about $1.6 billion, according to known reports.

-ANI

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