New Delhi: Shortly after India signed a long-term lease of 10 years for equipping and operating the strategic Iranian port of Chabahar, the United States said that “anyone considering business deals with Iran needs to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions.”When asked if the US has a view on the deal, Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, told reporters:“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.”Patel said that US sanctions on Iran remain in place and that the US will “continue to enforce them.”When a reporter asked if this meant that Indian firms, potentially, could look at sanctions, Patel said:“…[Y]ou’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.”The US has announced new sanctions on Iran after its tussle with Israel, targeting its unmanned aerial vehicle production.Chabahar Port has, however, been outside the ambit of US sanctions, even during the height of the Trump administration which had imposed significant bans and sanctions on Iran. However, as The Wire has noted, private companies were reluctant to deliver equipment for the Iranian port due to the fear of attracting adverse attention from Washington.