NEW DELHI (Dispatches) -- The Iranian government has announced that it will proceed with the construction of a railway line linking the Chabahar port with Afghanistan on its own, citing delays from India in funding and starting the project, The Hindu reported on Monday. India had signed the highly-anticipated deal on the port, which lies in a free trade zone, in May 2016.
Under the threat of U.S. sanctions, India has "zeroed out” its oil imports from Iran. For India, the Chabahar port was viewed as critical to the expansion of trade relations with Central Asian nations.