India, Jan. 16 -- India is exploring several options to retain its presence at the Chabahar port in the face of increasing US pressure on Iran, which has cast a shadow on the development of the strategic facility central to New Delhi's connectivity ambitions, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

A six-month exemption from US sanctions applicable to Chabahar port, granted by the Trump administration last year, is valid until April, and the government has taken several steps to reduce the exposure of state-run entities and officials to those sanctions, the people said on condition of anonymity.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a weekly media briefing on Friday that India remains engaged with the US on...