The West cannot prevent Iran to supply Russia's weapons - CNN

This route is moved by drones, balls and mortar shells that Russia has purchased in the Iranian regime to strengthen its military efforts in Ukraine. Tracking data show that Iranian vessels are increasingly switching off transponders, which indicates the intention of hiding the movement of goods. Last year, Lloyd's List Intelligence showed that the number of "disappearances" in September in September has increased in the tracking of ship tracking in the Caspian Sea.

It happened shortly after the authorities of the USA and Ukraine stated that the Russian Federation had purchased drones from Iran, and soon increased the number of strikes of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine. Analysts say that Western allies of Ukraine do not have enough opportunities to stop such weapons.

"There is no risk to the Iranian exports in the Caspian Sea because of the border countries - they do not have opportunities or motives to prevent such types of exchange. This is an ideal environment for this trade to pass without opposition," said Martin Kelly, a leading security analyst EOS Risk Group. From August to September 2022, an increase in the number of vessels in the Caspian Sea, which turned off the tracking data, was recorded.

The resolution of the international maritime organization requires that most vessels have a tracking system that automatically provides information on the location and identification of other vessels and coastal services. For safety reasons, these automatic identification systems (AIS) must transmit data at any time, with limited exceptions.

But ships can turn off AIS tracking, tactics that can be used to disguise parts of the trip, hide the destinations or "disappear" during the event in the port. At the end of 2022, Lloyd's List Intelligence Intelligence data showed that there was an increase in "likely dark measures to the ports" to the ports of the Caspian Sea of ​​Russia and Iran.

Using Marinetraffic data, a supplier of ship tracking data and maritime analytics, CNN found 6 vessels under Russia's flag and 2 under Iran's flag, which, according to analysts, are related to weapons. There were several patterns. Some ships were heading from Iranian ports to Astrakhan, although they did not take an official event there. Other vessels that experts found suspicious were "switched off" on the approach to the Iranian port of Amirarabad and the Russian port of Astrakhan.

Although analysts say it is difficult to finally determine which cargo is transported on these ships, except for eyewitnesses or satellite images. "There is a relationship between Russia, which asks drones in Iran, measures in dark ports in the Caspian Sea and increasing the activity of the dark AIS," Martin Kelly said. Recall that on May 25, Iran tested a new Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile.