Iran Ships Ammunition to Russia by Caspian Sea to Aid Invasion of Ukraine

Iran Ships Ammunition to Russia by Caspian Sea to Aid Invasion of Ukraine

The Wall Street Journal

The water route poses a challenge for the U.S. to disrupt cooperation between Moscow and Tehran

April 24, 2023 5:09 am ET

Russian ships are ferrying large quantities of Iranian artillery shells and other ammunition across the Caspian Sea to resupply troops fighting in Ukraine, Middle East officials said, posing a growing challenge for the U.S. and its allies as they try to disrupt cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.

Over the past six months, cargo ships have carried more than 300,000 artillery shells and a million rounds of ammunition from Iran to Russia, according to the officials and documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Intelligence about the shipments has been shared with the U.S., people familiar with the matter said.

Iran’s delegation at the United Nations and the Russian Defense Ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment. The White House National Security Council declined to comment.

The U.S. and its allies have been looking for ways to disrupt transfers of weapons from Iran, which has also been an important supplier of drones to the Russian military, U.S. officials say.

Iran has primarily used cargo planes to ship weapons to Russia, according to U.S. officials, making it all but impossible to intervene. And taking action in the Caspian Sea would require help from former Soviet republics on its coastline.

Earlier this month, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper—the head of the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet who has spearheaded multinational efforts to stop illegal shipments of weapons and drugs from Iran in the Persian Gulf—made an unannounced visit to Turkmenistan on the Caspian Sea, said Commander Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesman. Cmdr. Hawkins said the Navy admiral discussed a range of issues, including ways to deepen their cooperation and expand maritime security. He declined to comment on any specific discussions about seizing weapons shipments in the Caspian Sea.

Officials in the Middle East said the most recent weapons shipment known to have crossed the Caspian Sea to Russia left Iran in early March aboard the Rasul Gamzatov, a 460-foot-long Russian cargo ship named after a writer famous for a poem lamenting the death of Soviet soldiers in World War II.