There, navigation is calmer. Strangled by the maritime blockade that paralyzes its ports along the Persian Gulf, Iran turns to its northern side bordered by the Caspian Sea. This closed space, inaccessible to the US Navy, gives it precious access to Russia.
The maritime data analysis firm Windward noticed that during the semester following February 28, 2026, the start of the Israeli-American attacks on Iran, the traffic of oil tankers and Russian cargo transport ships off the Iranian coast increased by 13%, reaching 235 vessels compared to 208 in the same previous period. At the same time, the number of Iranian vessels increased by 7% in Russian waters, from 142 to 152.
What corroborates the recent statements of the high-ranking Iranian official in charge of trade, Mohammad Reza Talaei, about a "rerouting of Indian Ocean flows to routes passing through Russia and the Caspian Sea". "More than 30% of the country's imports now transit through the northern ports," he stated to the official news agency IRNA on July 21.
You have 82.88% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.