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PHOTO FILE: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said North Korea has not responded recently to requests from the United States to prepare logistics for a future summit when appearing before the US Foreign Relations Committee. Senate Exterior at Capitol Hill, Washington, United States. May 24, 2018. REUTERS / Toya Sarno Jordan / Photo File
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US diplomat has granted an exception to some US sanctions that will allow the development of an Iranian-led port in India, as part of a new transportation corridor intended for the United States. boosting the Afghan economy, said Tuesday a spokesman for the state department.
Deputy Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Exemption to US Sanctions Reimposed on Iran Monday Will Also Help Construction of Railway Line from Chabahar Port to Afghanistan, as well as Shipments to the Country war torn non-punishable goods, such as food drugs, the spokesman said.
In addition, Afghanistan will be allowed to continue to import Iranian petroleum products, the spokesman said.
"These activities are vital for the continued support provided to Afghanistan's growth and humanitarian assistance," the spokesman said in a statement sent to Reuters.
The sanctions imposed on Iran's oil exports – its main source of revenue – and the financial sector were triggered by US President Donald Trump's decision of May 8 to abandon the 2015 international agreement to block development. of nuclear weapons by Tehran.
Trump denounced the agreement, which lifted sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits to its nuclear program. He said that this would not prevent Tehran from developing weapons and did not address other activities, such as its ballistic missile program and its support to extremist groups.
Sanctions, however, threatened India's ability to finance the development of Chabahar, which could potentially pave the way for multi-million dollar trade for landlocked Afghanistan and end its dependence on from the Pakistani port of Karachi.
The construction of the Afghan economy could also reduce Kabul's dependence on foreign aid and severely affect the illicit trade in opium, the main source of revenue for the Taliban insurgency.
The Chabahar Project's exception for sanctions aims to strengthen US relations with Afghanistan and India "as we apply a policy of maximum pressure to change the destabilizing policy of the Iranian regime in the region and beyond. beyond, "said the spokesman of the State Department.
Reportage by Arshad Mohammed; Edited by James Dalgleish and Bill Berkrot
