The United States-Israeli operation on Friday targeted multiple locations inside Iran, including its capital Tehran. The coordinated airstrikes targeted missile sites and vital military installations. One of the targets of the airstrike was Chabahar, which has air and naval bases.

The attack came a day after Iran Navy's 103rd naval group docked at the port after “conducting a 100-day mission and covering about 13,000 nautical miles”.

The attack on Chabahar is also significant as the region had been making headlines in recent days over the Iranian leadership expressing its displeasure over the manner in which India pulled the plug on funding for the Chabahar port project.

The Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran is a strategic project that was being developed by India to forge a direct trade and transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan entirely.

Prime Minister Modi had once called Chabahar a "golden gate" that connects the Indian Ocean area to Central Asia, the Caucasus, and then to Europe.

The project bolsters India's regional connectivity, unlocks trade with landlocked Central Asian markets, counters China's dominance at Pakistan's nearby Gwadar Port, and amplifies New Delhi's geopolitical footprint.

Yet amid escalating US-Iran tensions, this year's Union Budget omits funding for Chabahar for the first time since India's 2024 development deal. Previously, India allocated ₹100 crore annually to the project in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, where it remains a pivotal partner.

Last September, the US slapped sanctions on Iran but granted India a six-month waiver for Chabahar, which is set to expire April 26.