Key facts
- Russia is supplying Iran with ammunition, drone components, and TNT via the Caspian Sea.
- Over two dozen ships have traveled via Caspian Sea routes to replenish Iran's military stockpiles.
- Ukrainian forces struck an Iranian ship carrying military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
- Iran claims the strike killed one sailor and injured another, calling it an act of aggression.
- Tehran has previously supplied Russia with military equipment and drones, including Shahed-type drones.
Russia is reportedly supplying Iran with ammunition, drone components, and TNT through the Caspian Sea, according to an NBC News report on August 17, which cited a European government document. The document, verified by an unnamed Western official, indicated that over two dozen ships have traversed the Caspian Sea shipping routes to resupply Tehran's military stockpiles amid ongoing strikes by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.
This deepening cooperation between Moscow and Tehran occurs as both nations face international isolation. Iran has previously supplied Russia with military equipment and drones, including the Shahed-type drones that are frequently used by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians.
In response to the alleged Russian-Iranian military collaboration, Ukrainian forces on July 25 struck an Iranian vessel reportedly transporting military cargo between Iran and Russia in the Caspian Sea. Ukraine's security service (SBU) confirmed the strike. Iran's Foreign Ministry, however, claimed the vessel was commercial and that the strike resulted in one sailor's death and another's injury, characterizing the action as "an act of aggression that could further inflame and expand the flames of war."
Following the incident and Tehran's condemnation, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha engaged in a "frank conversation" with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on July 28.