Iranian cargo ship disabled in Caspian Sea
CNN's map of the shipping corridor used to transport Iranian weapons to Russia via the Caspian Sea (Photo: CNN)
Iranian dry cargo ship Rona, believed to be sailing a route used to deliver weapons from Iran to Russia, was disabled in the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 14.
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.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
