An Israeli strike on naval infrastructure at Iran’s Bandar-e Anzali port on the Caspian Sea reportedly targeted a major supply route linking Iran and Russia, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.
The maritime corridor connects Russian and Iranian ports and has been used to transfer weapons, drones, ammunition, oil and food shipments between the two countries. According to the report, the route has taken on added importance as military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has deepened.
The Journal said the corridor has played a central role in moving Shahed drones, which are now produced in both Iran and Russia. Those drones have been used by Russia in attacks on Ukrainian cities and by Iran in strikes targeting airports, energy infrastructure and US positions in the Persian Gulf.
Eliezer Marum, a former commander of the Israeli Navy, told the newspaper that one objective of the strike was to curb Russian smuggling activity and demonstrate Iran’s vulnerability in the Caspian Sea, where it lacks effective maritime defenses.
In a statement issued on March 19, the Israel Defense Forces said the strike hit Iranian Navy vessels, a port command center and infrastructure used for ship repair and maintenance.
The report also said the attack may have had broader economic implications. Because wheat shipments move along the same Caspian route, the strike reportedly added pressure to Iran’s food supply chain. It also came on the same day as a separate attack in Iran’s sector of the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the South Pars strike, which reportedly hit natural gas facilities tied to domestic electricity generation and fertilizer production.
Analysts cited by the report said the Caspian Sea operation was significant, but likely to disrupt Iran-Russia trade only temporarily.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strike, saying it harmed Russian economic interests. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Bandar-e Anzali, the largest port on the Caspian, is an important trade and logistics hub used to support commerce between Russia and Iran, including food shipments.
Military and economic ties between Moscow and Tehran have expanded sharply since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2023. Iranian-made Shahed drones had already been identified in Russian attacks months earlier, during a lower-intensity phase of the war.
That alignment was formalized further on Jan. 17, 2025, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty covering defense, counterterrorism, energy, finance, transport, industry, agriculture, culture, science and technology.
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