The ministry reported that all 14 crew members (Iranian and Indian nationals) were rescued but gave no details on the accident’s cause or exact location.
According to Russian investigative outlet Important Stories, tracking data shows that between October 2024 and December 2025, Rona made 20 voyages from Iran’s Amirabad and Anzali ports to Russia’s Astrakhan, Makhachkala, and Azov. At the time of the incident, the vessel was en route to Astrakhan.
On Jan. 12, Bloomberg reported that Iran sold Russia nearly $3 billion worth of ballistic missiles under contracts signed in October 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Early in 2023, Iran also delivered Shahed-136 kamikaze drones and provided technology for their production under a $1.75 billion deal. Experts estimate that since late 2021, Russia has spent more than $4 billion on Iranian military equipment.
The Times reported in September 2024 that Russia received just over 200 ballistic missiles from Iran. Around the same time, Ukraine formally protested to Tehran over the transfers, warning of “devastating consequences” for bilateral relations.
In 2023, CNN identified the Amirabad–Anzali–Astrakhan corridor as a primary maritime supply line for Iranian weapons bound for Russia. The Wall Street Journal has reported that hundreds of thousands of artillery shells and other munitions have moved along this route.