The landlocked waterway arming Putin and Iran’s terror axis beyond Nato’s reach

1 comment 1 Next BEYOND Nato’s reach, Iran and Russia are forging a new terrifying axis in a landlocked waterway. With its southern ports severed by Donald Trump ‘s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is turning north to a “war zone” shipping artery rocked by airstrikes and a naval arms race for survival. 8 Russia have launched cruise missiles and run military drills in the Caspian 8 Advertisement The Caspian Sea, a key maritime corridor sitting between Iran and Russia , is both keeping the mullah regime alive and helping Putin launch strikes on Ukraine . Bordering just five countries, it is the only large-scale transport route linking Moscow and Tehran that bypasses US intervention – due to a ban on foreign military deployments inside it. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. International security expert Luke Coffey told the Sun: “The Iranians have been using the Caspian Sea as a way to trade more with Russia and receive assistance… but also to provide energy exports to circumvent international sanctions. “ Munitions, artillery shells , spare parts – these are items that have been sent north to Russia.” READ MORE WORLD NEWS VLAD’S RECKONING How panicked allies are stabbing Putin in back to stop ‘endless war’ ACHILLES' HEEL How Trump could unleash new tactic to finally destroy Iran's nuke base 8 Putin is increasingly exchanging technology, goods and weapons with Iran Credit: Getty 8 The regime is staying afloat through trade with Russia Credit: Getty Security analyst Dakota Irvin said the waterway had become a “key lifeline” for the regime. He told The Sun: “Russia is reportedly sending technology and weapons to Iran, and Iran has also helped Russia with drones and ballistic missiles… it’s really kind of a key lifeline.” Advertisement Putin is exploiting the waterway to fuel his war in Ukraine. To the chokepoint’s northwest lies the Volga-Don canal – a shipping route connecting the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Azov. Most read in The Sun GRIZZLY ATTACK Shocking moment huge bear attacks car as horrified driver locks the doors AIR MYSTERY Plane carrying 6 vanishes after leaving Bermuda as US Coast Guard leads search BEACH TRAGEDY Body found on UK beach after coastguard & lifeboat crews seen searching water URGENT SEARCH Manhunt launched for violent thug, 33, wanted for 'rape and coercive control' 8 The Caspian Sea borders Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan Credit: AFP 8 The mullah regime is staying afloat through increasing trade in the Caspian Sea with Russia Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Russian vessels carrying military equipment have used the narrow stretch to get arms closer to the Black Sea on Ukraine’s south coast. Advertisement The Caspian, which also borders Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, has allowed Iran to trade key imports and exports such as food, essential supplies and oil. Before the outbreak of war on February 28, the Strait of Hormuz handled 80 per cent of all Iranian trade. But as of today, the US has achieved a near-total blockade of the regime’s southern ports. 8 Drones on Ukrainian cities are being handed over by Iran Credit: Reuters 8 Missiles and drones are being traded between Russia and Iran Credit: EPA Advertisement More than 30 per cent of Iran’s imports now transit through the Caspian Sea, according to Tehran. Coffey said: “They’ve been doing this a lot in recent weeks. What is new is the rate at which they are doing it.” Increased trade in the Caspian Sea helps both regimes “resupply, rearm, and trade energy” as part of a larger effort to undermine the interests of the West, he added. Irvin said: “The war isolated Iran from the rest of the world, and Russia is its only remaining key ally. “The Caspian has emerged as this gateway for them as a back door for illicit trade including weapons and drones.” Advertisement Aside from food items like sunflower oil or animal feed, reports say Russia is also sending drone components and explosives to Iran through the sea. The Kremlin has been helping Iran develop advanced supersonic cruise missiles “in one of the most significant known transfers of strategic military technology from Moscow to Tehran,” the Financial Times reported . The relationship goes both ways – with Iran reportedly giving Putin drone and missile parts for his war in Ukraine to strike civilians and frontline targets. Tehran’s imports and exports have not only been suffocated through their southern ports – but also their land and air routes. Huge queues have been reported near Iran’s borders while cargo flights have been delayed as the US does everything it can to pile pressure on the regime’s neighbours . Advertisement Waiting times for trucks to cross the border between the town of Gürbulak in Turkey and Iran have increased fourfold compared to before the war, transport authorities say. These factors have all pushed Tehran into a corner, with the regime relying on the Caspian Sea, the world’s biggest inland body of water, to keep itself afloat. Despite a ban on foreign military presences in the Caspian, Ukraine has taken measures into its own hands to slow the flow of Iranian drones destined for the frontline. In August, Ukraine confirmed it had struck and sunk a ship transporting Moscow-bound Shahed drone components. Following the blitz – the first direct link between the wars in Iran and Ukraine – Tehran threatened to hit back. Advertisement The declarations sparked fears of World War Three as the regime vowed revenge. Ukraine has also been hit by cruise missiles launched by Russian warships from the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, Kyiv has struck Russian off-shore oil fields and dozens of Putin’s warships in the waterway. Strikes on Tehran’s ships in the maritime flashpoint were also launched by Tel Aviv just weeks after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran. “The balance of naval power in the Caspian, it is definitely shifting because of what Ukraine, but also what Israel has done to the Russian and the Iranian fleets respectively,” Coffey added. Advertisement “Israel and Ukraine have expanded these two separate wars into one sort of conjoined conflict meeting in the Caspian Sea.” Irvin said this increasing activity showed the waterway was becoming a “zone of war”. “The Caspian is now almost a zone of war, which is complicating some of the shipping networks between Russia and Iran,” he said. To ensure frictionless trade between both regimes amid the threat of strikes, Moscow and Tehran have been repeatedly turning off automatic identification system (AIS) signals according to maritime data, a method known as “dark activity”. This under-the-radar technique makes it harder for the West to understand the true extent of the deepening bond between the two nations. Advertisement The Caspian has now become a symbol of the growing Axis of Evil alliance against the West. Coffey said: “The Iranian and Russian cooperation, in addition to how China aligns with this and also North Korea , shows that there is an emerging axis against Western interests.” He highlighted one example of this located just north of the Caspian Sea – the Russian Yelabuga factory that builds drones designed by Iran with parts from China and constructed by workers from North Korea. But it has also sparked an urgent “naval arms race” between countries bordering the Caspian – due to the increased pressure to keep trade open. RECOMMENDED STORIES Irvin said: “You’re seeing this increasing militarisation, and that puts a lot of the other countries that are ostensibly neutral in these conflicts, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan in a really difficult spot. Advertisement “We’re actually starting to see the emergence of a naval arms race in the Caspian as the Kazakhs, Azeris, and Turkmen acquire new assets, commission new ships as part of a general militarisation.” 1 comment 1