THE CASPIAN Sea has now been dragged into the vortex of the conflict\ninvolving Ukraine, Russia and Iran. The region, long regarded as a safe\nroute for the strategic relationship between Moscow and Tehran, became\nthe target of Ukrainian drone attacks over the weekend.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian government stated that its drones successfully struck\ntwo Russian ships carrying military cargo in the Caspian Sea, the\nworld\u2019s largest inland body of water. Ukraine asserted that both ships\nhad only just departed from Iran, heading for a Russian port.<\/p>\n
In a post on the social media platform X on Saturday, Ukrainian\nPresident Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the targets of the attack\nincluded vessels involved in transporting military cargo from Iran as\nwell as a warship. Ukraine\u2019s security service subsequently identified\nthe warship as a Russian missile boat.<\/p>\n
Iran offered a different account, stating that one of its commercial\nvessels carrying an iron cargo was struck. The incident was reported to\nhave killed one sailor and injured three others.<\/p>\n
The unnamed vessel was sailing from the Russian port of Astrakhan\ntowards Anzali in Iran. The Iranian regional governor, Hadi Hagh-Shenas,\ndescribed the route as a safe and reliable corridor for commercial\nexchange between the two ports.<\/p>\n
Tensions rose on Monday (27\/7) when the spokesman for Iran\u2019s Ministry\nof Foreign Affairs, Esmail Baghaei, warned that Ukraine\u2019s dangerous\nadventurism would not be left unanswered. As a form of protest,\nUkraine\u2019s charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires in Tehran was also summoned by the local\nforeign ministry.<\/p>\n
The Caspian Sea, which borders five countries including Iran and\nRussia, now carries new significance as a major trade route,\nparticularly following the blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf\nand the Gulf of Oman.<\/p>\n
Bijan Khajehpour, a managing partner at the consultancy firm Eurasian\nNexus Partners, noted that the Caspian Sea supports Iran\u2019s diversified\ntrade strategy, especially with Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.\n\u201cIt is a strategic complement, not merely a substitute for Iran\u2019s\nmaritime access in southern waters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For Russia, the Caspian Sea is a critical route in its strategic\npartnership with Tehran, encompassing military components, the civilian\nnuclear programme and oil exploration. The route is also considered less\nvulnerable to international sanctions because of its landlocked\nlocation, beyond the reach of Western naval forces.<\/p>\n
The Caspian Sea has become the main route for the developing military\nrelationship between Moscow and Tehran. Russia is reported to have\nreceived the first wave of Shahed attack drones from Iran via this route\nat the start of the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
In 2024, intelligence reports and the US Department of the Treasury\nidentified Russian cargo vessels, such as the Port Olya-3, being used to\ntransport close-range ballistic missiles (CRBMs) from Iran to Russia.\nNevertheless, Iran has consistently denied providing military assistance\nto Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian drone attacks in the Caspian Sea demonstrate Kyiv\u2019s\nimproved long-range strike capabilities as well as an effort to disrupt\nthe industries supporting Russia\u2019s war machine. The move is also viewed\nas an acknowledgement that Iran plays a significant role in supplying\nweapons to Russia.<\/p>\n
The timing of the attack is considered diplomatically astute, given\nthat President Zelensky is scheduled to travel to Washington this week\nto meet President Donald Trump. Beyond the Caspian strikes, Zelensky\nalso claimed that Ukrainian intelligence had found evidence that Russia\nprovided satellite data to Iran for attacks on US facilities in the\nMiddle East, a message affirming that Ukraine and the United States\nstand on the same side in facing global threats. (CNN\/I-2)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/iran-collides-with-russia-ukraine-war-on-the-worlds-largest-lake-1785239424", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }