Washington/New Delhi, May 14 (Reporter) As India inked a deal with Iran for long-term development of its Chabahar Port, the US said that its sanctions on Tehran remain in place and that Washington will continue to enforce them. Answering questions at the US State Department press briefing, Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel also said that “any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions”. His remarks came as India and Iran on Monday inked a contract to develop and operate Tehran’s strategic Chabahar Port, located along the Gulf of Oman, for 10 years, marking a new chapter in regional connectivity. New Delhi is offering a credit window worth $250 million for the development of infrastructure around the strategic facility. Indian Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who arrived in Tehran on Monday, oversaw the inking of the contract between India Ports Global Ltd. & Ports and Maritime organisation of Iran for the operation of the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar. Chabahar Port, which sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman, offers India an alternative route for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia – bypassing Pakistan which has denied India land access to these regions. Chabahar is also part of the proposed International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. The deep sea port of Chabahar also offers an alternative route bypassing the congested Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. The port, located in southeastern Iran, has been developed with Indian aid. Monday’s agreement replaces an initial pact inked in 2016 that has been renewed annually. India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), a subsidiary of state-run India Global Ports Limited (IGPL), currently operates the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port. During the US State Department briefing, Patel said: “So we’re aware of these reports that Iran and India have signed a deal concerning the Chabahar port. I will let the Government of India speak to its own foreign policy goals vis-à-vis the Chabahar port as well as its own bilateral relationship with Iran. I will just say, as it relates to the United States, U.S. sanctions on Iran remain in place and we’ll continue to enforce them. QUESTION: Does that mean including against Indian firms, potentially, about just — MR PATEL: So broadly, Shaun, you’ve heard us say this in a number of instances, that any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions. QUESTION: So there’s not an exemption for this specifically? MR PATEL: No...////...