The two countries are spending billions of dollars to speed up the delivery of cargos along rivers and railways linked by the Caspian Sea, Bloomberg wrote in a report.
Ship–tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show dozens of Russian and Iranian vessels already plying the route.
The emerging trade corridor would allow Russia and Iran to shave thousands of kilometers off existing routes. At its northern end is the Sea of Azov, which is bracketed by the Crimean Peninsula—including the port of Mariupol—and the mouth of the River Don.
Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin said the Sea of Azov “has become an inland sea” for Russia.
From there river, sea, and rail networks extend to Iranian hubs on the Caspian Sea and ultimately the Indian Ocean. Putin has flagged the importance of that end of the corridor, as well.
At an economic forum in September, he underlined the need to develop the ship, rail and road infrastructure along the route that “will provide Russian companies with new opportunities to enter the markets of Iran, India, the Middle East and Africa, and will facilitate supplies from these countries in return.”
MP/PR