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Afghan authorities welcomed the US decision to exempt anti-Iranian sanctions from the development of the Iranian port of Chabahar, in recognition of its role in the development of the Afghan economy.
The exception granted Tuesday by the Trump administration will allow the construction of a railway line connecting the port to Afghanistan. In addition, the war-torn country will be allowed to continue importing petroleum products from Iran.
President Ashraf Ghani's engagement with the US government "has achieved this goal in the last six months," his spokesman on Twitter (@hchakhansuri) said on Wednesday.
On Monday, Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran's oil export, finance, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors that were lifted as part of the 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran.
The development of India's Chabahar port aims to open a new transport corridor for Afghan international trade and reduce the country's dependence on Pakistan's land and sea ports.
Kabul's tense relations with Islamabad are blamed on the slowdown of Afghan trade activities in the neighboring country.
US officials have argued that Chabahar's sanctions exception underscored Washington's support for Afghanistan's economic growth and development, as well as the close partnership with India.
But the sanctions threatened New Delhi's ability to secure funds for the development of the Iranian port. In addition, the intensification of the Taliban-led insurgency is also a major challenge for the international community's sustained efforts to stabilize and develop Afghanistan.
Insurgents have organized new attacks across the country in recent days, killing many Afghan security forces and invading major military bases in several Afghan provinces. The Taliban are fiercely controlling or fighting over half of Afghanistan.
The United States has supported international efforts to engage in a peace dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban have failed.
