After CENTCOM affirmed it would maintain the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and block the IRGC’s land and Caspian routes, Russia called this special taskforce a 'clear violation of international law'.
asserted
Russia → affirm → law
At the same time, the Institute for the Study of War devoted its latest assessment to Tehran-Moscow cooperation in circumventing US arms restrictions.
asserted
Institute → devote → restrictions
As Iran issued fresh warnings about a widening military confrontation, Moscow and Tehran reacted to the creation of a new task force by the US military to monitor land and sea transit routes north of Iran and in the Caspian Sea, expanding its blockade.
asserted
Moscow → issue → blockade
Russia's Foreign Ministry described Washington's plan to form a task force to monitor and block Iran's trade and transport routes in the Caspian region as "a clear threat" to the rights and interests of the littoral states, adding that security in the Caspian Sea is an internal matter that concerns only the five states bordering it.
"We consider this latest escalatory and provocative step a blatant violation of the norms of international law and we declare our full support for the position of the Iranian authorities that continued economic pressure will not succeed in collapsing Iran's economy," the Russian foreign ministry said.
asserted
ministry → describe → economy
This reaction came after United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on 7 November the creation of the "Iron Gate" task force, a unit whose stated aim is to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons and dual-use items to Iran via land borders and the Caspian Sea.
asserted
aim → come → borders
CENTCOM also stressed in a statement posted on X on Wednesday that US forces are working around the clock to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping, to enforce rigorously an "Iron Maritime Blockade" against Iran, and to work with US partner institutions to prevent the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from using land routes and the Caspian Sea to move advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned items and illicit revenue streams.
asserted
forces → stress → systems
Meanwhile Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said after meeting the Russian ambassador in Tehran that the two sides had discussed how to counter "unilateral US measures" and the "Iron Gate" programme and had emphasised the need for coordination in the face of common threats.
asserted
sides → say → threats
Gharibabadi stated that "Tehran and Moscow stress the need for coordination and cooperation in the face of common threats," adding that "the interests of the littoral states will also be served by maintaining stability and security in the Caspian."
ISW assessment and Tehran-Moscow economic relations
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the "Critical Threats Project" (CTP) said in their latest joint assessment that "Iran and Russia are cooperating to counter US efforts to stop weapons shipments to Iran via the Caspian Sea and land routes.
asserted
Iran → state → routes
"Iran has used its Caspian Sea trade routes with Russia to import Russian arms before and during the 2026 US-Israel-Iran War, which prompted Ukraine to strike a shipment in July 2026," the ISW study said.
asserted
study → use → July
According to the think tank's analysis, the Caspian Sea is out of the Western monitoring bodies' reach allowing sanctioned Russian cargo ships to move consignments from the ports of Astrakhan and Olya to the ports of Anzali, Nowshahr and Amirabad.
uncertain
ships → accord → Anzali
An examination of recent maritime traffic data shows that, after loading in the ports of Astrakhan and Olya, sanctioned Russian cargo ships transfer their cargoes to the Iranian ports of Anzali, Nowshahr and Amirabad.
asserted
ships → show → Anzali
As these ships approach the shores of the two countries, they switch off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to conceal the nature of their cargoes.
asserted
they → approach → cargoes
Last summer Ukraine's Security Service also announced that the country's long-range drones had targeted two cargo ships in the Caspian Sea which, according to Kyiv, were involved in transferring military equipment between Iran and Russia.
uncertain
which → announce → Iran
In recent years Tehran and Moscow have sought not only to deepen their security and military ties but also to expand their economic and transit relations within the framework of the North-South corridor.
asserted
Tehran → seek → corridor
Completing the Rasht-Astara railway, the missing link in this transit route which connects Russia to ports in the Persian Gulf, is one of the two countries' flagship projects.
asserted
which → complete → projects
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said after his recent meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow that the council had approved the executive agreement for the construction of this railway.
asserted
council → say → railway
He added that the meeting had also discussed building gas pipelines from Russia to Iran to address fuel shortages and allow exports to neighbouring countries.
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meeting → add → countries
Ongoing fragility of security in the Strait of Hormuz amid a continued "no war, no peace" situation in the region
Tensions over Iran's northern trade routes are rising at a time when the security situation in the southern waters and the Strait of Hormuz also remains fragile and volatile, despite an environment that observers describe as a "no war, no peace" situation.
The public relations office of the Revolutionary Guard Navy said in a statement on Thursday that two "supertankers" had been involved in an incident the previous night while passing through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz and had been brought to a halt by a "massive explosion".
asserted
supertankers → ongoe → explosion
According to the Guard, the two vessels were carrying more than four million barrels of oil in total and had "ignored repeated warnings that the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz was unauthorised and unsafe".
uncertain
route → accord → Hormuz
Iran insists that vessels should pass only along the route it has designated in the Strait of Hormuz and says that the security consequences for "violating" ships are their own responsibility.
asserted
consequences → insist → ships
The Institute for the Study of War and the "Critical Threats Project" also said in their joint assessment that Iran has abandoned the claimed 2,000 kilometre limit on the range of its ballistic missiles, a move which, according to the think tanks, formalises Tehran's longstanding efforts to develop longer range systems.
uncertain
which → say → systems
This assessment comes as Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, has reported the display of a new ballistic missile in the Guard's missile city which, by combining the warhead of the "Fattah" missile with the "Kheibarshekan 2" booster, has increased the range of the Fattah hypersonic missile from 1,400 to 2,000 kilometres.
asserted
which → come → kilometres
At the same time Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, once again stressed the order attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei for "no geographical limitations in confronting the enemy".
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Rezaei → stress → enemy
In a post on the social network X he again warned Europe that "if the United States starts another war against Iran, every military base involved in this aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target of Iran's lethal attacks.
asserted
base → warn → attacks
Meanwhile Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament, also criticised Washington's approach in the region, writing that despite the slogan "America First", in practice and in its strategies the Americans have prioritised "Israel First".
asserted
Americans → criticise → Israel
According to Ghalibaf, Washington's acceptance of Israeli intelligence and plans is the main cause of the United States' current military, political and economic problems in the region.
uncertain
acceptance → accord → region
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