US sanctions on Chabahar Port a major setback for India, says Sardar Masood Khan

Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and senior diplomat Sardar Masood Khan has said that the US decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran’s Chabahar Port is a severe blow to India, which had been managing the port through its Ports Global Limited company.

He noted that the move, while aimed at Iran, would not only sink India’s heavy investment but also shatter its long-standing ambition of bypassing Pakistan to access Afghanistan and Central Asia.

In a TV interview, Sardar Masood Khan stressed that the US decision had exposed India’s “double game,” as New Delhi, despite being a strategic partner of Washington, was simultaneously engaged in trade with countries hostile to the US.

He added that the Chabahar project was flawed from the beginning, serving India’s designs to undermine Pakistan’s ties with Afghanistan while doubling as a base for espionage and terrorism against Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan.

He alleged that during the recent Israel-Iran war, India even used the Chabahar base for espionage against Tehran, leading to arrests of Indian nationals by Iranian authorities. “India used this port like a double-edged sword, targeting both Pakistan and Iran,” Masood Khan remarked.

The senior diplomat further stated that the re-imposition of sanctions would also punish India in other ways, pointing to the Trump administration’s decision to raise H-1B visa fees to $100,000. He explained that 71 percent of Indians in the US had benefited from H-1B visas, primarily in the tech sector, but new restrictions were intended to prioritise American workers and reduce foreign influence in key industries.

Sardar Masood Khan underlined that Pakistan and China stand to benefit from these sanctions, provided that Islamabad accelerates the operationalisation of the Gwadar Port. He reminded that during recent talks with the Chinese President, Pakistan’s Prime Minister had also listed Gwadar’s activation as a national priority. China, he added, is already advancing its Belt and Road Initiative with Iran, offering $400 billion in aid and planning additional ports to establish a strategic corridor linking Central Asia and the Gulf.

He urged Pakistan to seize the moment, stressing that the sanctions had created an opportunity for Gwadar to emerge as a regional trade hub, outshining India’s now-crippled ambitions at Chabahar.