Russia is shipping drone components to Iran via the Caspian Sea, exploiting the world’s largest inland body of water as a sanctions-evasion corridor while the US and Iran blockade the Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials.

The covert military transfers, combined with overt commercial goods, are helping Iran rebuild its drone arsenal after losing roughly 60 percent of its inventory in last month’s US-Israeli bombing campaign, officials told the New York Times on condition of anonymity.

The Caspian Sea provides a crucial advantage: Russia and Iran share lengthy coastlines but no land border, allowing them to trade openly without risk of interdiction by US or allied navies. The corridor bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded for weeks.

Beyond military components, Russia is routing grain, animal feed, sunflower oil, and other staples through the Caspian that would normally transit the blocked strait, the report said.

“If you’re thinking about the ideal place for sanction evasion and military transfers, it’s the Caspian,” said Nicole Grajewski, a professor at Paris’ Sciences Po.

The geopolitical blind spot extends to Washington. “For American policymakers, the Caspian is a geopolitical black hole; it’s almost like it doesn’t exist,” said Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

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