The US is pursuing two objectives by imposing sanctions related to India’s involvement in Chabahar Port, Tehran University professor Mohammad Marandi tells Sputnik.
First, it seeks to cut off the North-South Transport Corridor and break the link between India and Russia that goes through Iran.
Second, it cannot reconcile with the fact that Indian PM Narendra Modi didn’t cave in despite tariffs and is now raising the stakes.
"They are trying to force the Indian government to do as they wish. And this is part of that process."
US Lawless Behavior Has Fueled the rise of BRICS and SCO – Marandi
The US' intimidation of Russia, Iran, and India is pushing them to unite on solutions beyond US control, according to Marandi.
"They create an incentive for countries to work together and exclude the United States. It is US policy that has effectively made BRICS what it is today. It is US policy that has made the Shanghai Cooperation Organization what it is today. It is their behavior, their lawless behavior, using sanctions as a weapon, using tariffs as a weapon, using financial institutions and the US dollar as a weapon."
The US wants full control, and they see the Global South on the rise, and they increasingly become irritated, and they behave increasingly irrational in order to preserve that control, according to the pundit.
So what’s the smart play for Russia, Iran, and India now? "To speed in the process of developing the North-South Transport Corridor and developing the Chabahar Port," Marandi believes.