The secret supply route Russia is using to sustain the Iran war

August 13, 2026 — 1:45pm

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Washington: Russia has quietly established a new strategic supply route to Iran across the Caspian Sea. Called by some the Caspian Express, this logistics corridor has become the backbone of Vladimir Putin’s effort to arm Tehran while allowing both countries to circumvent US maritime pressure in the Persian Gulf.

Moscow applied this model during the Syrian civil war when it sustained the regime of Bashar al-Assad through a maritime supply route sometimes termed the Syrian Express. Operating for nearly a decade between occupied Crimea and the Syrian port of Tartus, the supply corridor allowed Moscow to reinforce its expeditionary forces despite Western sanctions and diplomatic pressure. Turkey closed the Bosphorus to warships following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, squeezing the route, before the lifeline was cut by the end of the Syrian regime in 2024.

Today, Russia has replicated that approach in the Caspian, transforming the inland sea into its logistical backbone for its military partnership with Iran. The strategic consequences are becoming increasingly visible as “Gulf War III” expands to the region.

Earlier this year, Israel carried out air strikes against Iran’s Caspian naval base at Bandar Anzali, destroying port facilities and several boats in the first-ever use of Israeli air power in the Caspian region. At the end of July, Ukraine carried out a drone strike on........

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