Ukraine was unable to shoot down any Russian missile during an overnight attack that left 17 people dead in Kyiv and the nearby areas.

The Russian army fired  115 drones and fired 28 missiles, including ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian air force said. President Zelensky urged allies to send more anti-ballistic air defense after the Russian attack.

“Ballistic interceptors are what could have saved the lives of those killed today. It is very important for partners to realize that delays in their deliveries or failure to provide anti-ballistic measures lead to such terrible casualties and destruction,” Zelensky said on social media.

Russia has enormously escalated attacks on Kyiv in recent months, firing salvos of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles in short blitzes that rock buildings and send booms echoing across the city.

“Ballistic interceptors are what could have saved the lives of those killed today,” Zelensky said, announcing 17 people had been killed. Over 40 people were wounded in the capital and its surrounding areas, local authorities said.

Ukraine shot down 98 of the 115 drones fired by Russia overnight, the air force said. But it was unable to shoot down any of the missiles, preliminary statistics from the air force showed.

Meanwhile, besides urging the US for more Patriot interceptors, Ukraine is now pitching to license-produce Patriot interceptors domestically.

Zelenskyy made the case for the license in an interview with Face the Nation, stating that the US lacks sufficient anti-ballistic missile production capacity, while Russia has been ramping up domestic ballistic missile production.

“I sent a letter to the White House and to the U.S. Congress. I hope they will understand and respond,” the President stated, adding that the slow production could lead to a crisis in different parts of the world.

“60–65 anti-ballistic missiles per month, compared to current challenges, is nothing. It is no secret, and Russia knows this. We need to expand the production. I asked the previous U.S. administration, and I am asking today’s administration to give Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles,” Zelenskyy.

“We can increase the production of Patriot missiles. This will help us. This will help the Middle East and any other country that the United States decides to help. Until we produce a European anti-ballistic system, we will need support from the United States,” he added.

There were about 2,500 Patriot interceptors in the US inventory before Operation Epic Fury was launched, and between 1,060 and 1,430 Patriots were fired during the hostilities, according to a report published by the US-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

However, Trump said the US must be “very careful” about giving Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air defense missiles.

“These weapons are incredible. We have to be very careful about letting somebody build them,” Trump said at the Camp David retreat in response to a question about allowing Ukraine to produce the missiles.

Zelensky met Trump at the White House as Kyiv and Moscow intensify long-range strikes after US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war failed. Zelensky said after the meeting that Trump had agreed to license Patriot production to Ukraine, but the US president only said that “many things were discussed” and “the meeting went very well!”

Meanwhile, the Pentagon signed a landmark seven-year framework agreement with Lockheed Martin earlier this year to more than triple the annual production capacity of PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors — from roughly 600 per year to 2,000 per year by 2030. In addition, Boeing is reportedly tripling production of the critical active radar seekers for PAC-3 MSE missiles.

However, even increased missile production may not be enough to meet delivery obligations. For instance, the CSIS report posits that the US faces a challenge in delivering Patriots because it needs to replenish its own stockpiles, assist Ukraine in fending off Russian missile attacks, and meet the demands of 17 other nations that have ordered the interceptors.

“Current production of the latest variant—PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE)—is around the baseline rate of 650 interceptors per year, with half the deliveries going to the United States and the rest to allies and partners. The surge annual production rate with existing tooling and facilities is 2,000. Lockheed intends to scale up to this level,” it stated.

The think tank predicts that the US stockpile of Patriot interceptors would return to the pre-war levels only by mid-2029. This may have sparked concern in Ukraine that the depleted stockpiles and less-than-ideal production rate could impact deliveries to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and further embolden Russia.st.

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The US has outrightly rejected Iran’s claims that it managed to destroy American F-35 fighter jets.

CENTCOM wrote on X: Over the past few hours, Iranian state media have continued to report false claims by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

FIRST CLAIM: The IRGC (again) claims free and open routes through the Strait of Hormuz are dangerous for commercial vessels. FACT: The immediate dangers posed to commercial vessels and their civilian crews are the IRGC’s verbal threats and attempted attacks.

SECOND CLAIM: The IRGC claims three U.S. F-35 stealth fighters and three other aircraft were destroyed during a recent Iranian attack on an American air base. FACT: No U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged in recent attempted Iranian attacks. All missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas.

THIRD CLAIM: Iranian state media is reporting that a commercial oil tanker, M/T Nora, has broken through the U.S. blockade.FACT: The commercial vessel has not broken through America’s steel wall blockade. More than 20 U.S. warships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members remain vigilant and continue to fully enforce the blockade.

Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had claimed that three US F-35 jets were destroyed and three others were damaged in a missile attack on Jordan’s Al-Azraq air base.

However, this claim has not yet been confirmed by US or Jordanian officials, or by any independent source.

IRGC’s public relations department claimed the attack was in response to US airstrikes on two residential homes on Qeshm Island, which killed three members of the same family, including a child, and wounded two other children.

The Revolutionary Guards also claimed that a hangar for the installation and repair of fighter jets at Al-Azraq Air Base was also targeted, resulting in the deaths of several American officers and technical staff members. However, no specific numbers or further details were provided.

Washington has not yet issued any official statement.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that a ballistic missile strike destroyed three US F-35 fighter jets and severely damaged three others at Jordan’s al-Azraq air base.

The Guards said that several US officers and maintenance personnel were killed.

The attack targeted…

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 30, 2026

Earlier, IRGC said on Thursday that three of its members were killed in an attack by the United States on the northwestern province of Zanjan.

“In the brutal attack carried out by the terrorist regime of the criminal United States on 30 July 2026, three brave and devoted members of the Ansar al-Mahdi IRGC in Zanjan province… attained martyrdom,” the Guards’ provincial branch said in a statement, according to Tasnim news agency.

Earlier in March, as EurAsian Times reported, a US F-35 made an emergency landing at a US air base in the Middle East after it was hit by possible Iranian fire.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing. Hawkins said the aircraft landed safely and the incident is under investigation.

“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins added. “This incident is under investigation.”

Iran has a well-documented pattern of issuing bold claims about successful strikes on advanced U.S. military assets, particularly F-35 stealth fighters.

Throughout the current conflict, the IRGC have repeatedly claimed to have destroyed or damaged US warplanes and other high-value assets at bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and elsewhere. Earlier claims in June and mid-July similarly described the destruction of fighter hangars and multiple aircraft at Al-Azraq, often accompanied by assertive language.

By asserting the destruction of the F-35—one of the most advanced fighters in the U.S. inventory—Iran seeks to project strength, boost morale at home, and portray its missile forces as capable of neutralizing American air power.

By ET Desk

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Iran is deliberately outsourcing the risk. If a Houthi drone hits a Saudi tanker or an Iraqi militia rocket lands near a pumping station, Tehran retains deniability while Riyadh still pays the price. It is attrition by proxy, and it is highly effective.

Saudi Arabia is being encircled by Iranian proxies targeting its oil infrastructure and crippling its maritime trade. The picture is a terrifying scenario for the world’s biggest oil exporter — jeopardizing its plans to diversify its economy and attract investment & tourists.

Despite calls for a diplomatic solution, Saudi forces have faced attacks from both Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels as they impose a Red Sea blockade on Saudi ships, and from pro-Iran militias in Iraq targeting its energy facilities.

Early on Wednesday, the kingdom struck back. Joint US-Saudi strikes in Iraq killed 20, according to the alliance of former paramilitary groups and factions whose bases were targeted.

“Saudi Arabia understands that becoming drawn into a prolonged war of attrition with Iran and the so-called Axis of Resistance does not serve the Kingdom’s long-term interests,” Danny Citrinowicz, a senior Iran researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, wrote on X.

Still, as one Saudi analyst close to the government put it, “restraint has limits”.

With several Saudi tankers hit in the Red Sea, the Houthis are seeking to limit access to a critical artery delivering Saudi crude to the international market after the Strait of Hormuz was largely choked off by Iran.

The repeated attacks have already done something more damaging than physical destruction: they have punctured the Gulf’s carefully cultivated image as a safe harbor for capital. Once that perception cracks, the cost of repairing it is measured in years, not months.

The threats on multiple fronts come just months after Iran itself launched waves of strikes targeting Saudi energy installations, including refineries, petrochemical plants and power facilities.

The salvos hit “key” installations, according to Saudi state media, impacting oil production capacity.

The repeated barrages against Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors also shattered the wealthy monarchies’ hard-earned reputation for stability.

“For the Gulf states, stability is not an abstract concept; it is the foundation of their economic model,” Citrinowicz wrote in an online commentary.

“Their long-term prosperity depends on regional predictability, investment, trade, and uninterrupted energy flows.”

Such attacks risk a bigger backlash from a cornered Riyadh, which experts say has so far held off on a larger retaliation.

“The kingdom has the capacity to impose severe punishment on the Houthis and the Iraqi militias, but has so far exercised considerable restraint,” Ali Shihabi, a political analyst close to the Saudi government, told AFP.

“That restraint has limits and should not be mistaken for weakness.”

Fear is also mounting that the Houthis will copy Iran’s playbook in the Hormuz Strait by charging ships to transit the Red Sea — giving them a revenue stream to bolster their arsenal and project power across Yemen.

On Wednesday, a minister in Yemen’s internationally recognized government claimed the rebels had already begun working under Iranian guidance to establish a fee system.

Information minister Moammar al-Eryani described the move in remarks to AFP “as a dangerous escalation aimed at transforming one of the world’s most strategic maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the militia’s military and terrorist activities”.

Even if fears over the tolls are not realized, analysts say the group’s ability to disrupt one of the world’s most vital waterways sends a powerful message.

“That capability is itself the warning,” H.A. Hellyer, analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told AFP. “It’s a preview of what Iran-aligned actors elsewhere on Saudi Arabia’s periphery can also bring to bear.”

With AFP Inputs

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A drone strike on Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta on 29 July 2026—the first direct attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the US-Iran war earlier this year—appears designed as a high-stakes signal that American interests remain vulnerable across the entire Middle East, analysts say.

No party has claimed the attack on the Mediterranean port, and Egypt has not blamed anyone for the attack, which struck a US-owned and operated floating gas storage vessel.

Houthi militants in Yemen, who have imposed a Red Sea blockade on Saudi Arabia, have denied carrying out the attack, which raised fears for the only remaining safe maritime route for the world’s largest crude producer.

According to analysts, the goal of the attack — regardless of who launched it — could be to drag Egypt into the conflict, after months of Cairo acting as one of the few diplomatic channels between Iran and the US.

The port strike, the furthest afield from the Gulf since the war broke out, also marks a new milestone by crossing the Red Sea into the Mediterranean.

Damietta, a Mediterranean port, is more than 1,300 kilometers away from Iran and 2,000 kilometers from Yemen.

The precision strike caused fires on the US-owned Energos Winter storage and regasification vessel and the Greek-owned GasLog Salem tanker, which was moored alongside.

“The attack may have been calibrated to damage a United States-linked asset without killing Egyptians,” King’s College London professor Andreas Krieg told AFP, though Cairo would not “find that distinction reassuring”.

According to Royal United Services Institute analyst HA Hellyer, the distance means “it’s unlikely that Iran would have struck Egypt directly from Iranian territory”.

But, he said, it is possible Tehran’s regional allies could have done so, via the Houthis in Yemen or Iran-aligned militias in Iraq.

Houthi-affiliated news agency Saba on Thursday said the “rumors” were “unfounded”.

Iran’s other powerful ally, Hezbollah in Lebanon, is closest to the port less than 400 kilometers away.

“A drone launched from the Lebanese coast could fly west over the eastern Mediterranean before turning south towards Egypt,” Krieg said, enabling it to avoid both Israeli and Egyptian airspace.

But Cairo University political science professor Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid believes Hezbollah is “wiser” than to pick a fight with the largest Arab military.

While energy facilities elsewhere in the region have been hit by drones and missiles over the course of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, Egypt had so far been spared.

“I would not automatically interpret this as an attack on Egypt itself,” Krieg said, adding the purpose was to “show that United States assets are vulnerable beyond the Gulf”.

“For Egypt, this is a warning that neutrality does not guarantee immunity,” Krieg added.

Wednesday’s attack took place as the United States and Iran returned to hostilities following a brief lull — an apparent message that Iran could disrupt global trade even farther than it has.

According to Hellyer, “that would mean that Iran’s strategy is very high risk, with a lot of downsides for their security relationships”.

“Cairo and others would see an attack by any Iranian-aligned group on Egyptian territory as a formidable escalation, and that won’t go down well for the medium-to-long term at all for Tehran,” he told AFP.

Egypt has for months walked a diplomatic tightrope, keeping phone lines open with both Tehran and Washington.

It helped secure a ceasefire earlier this year and serves as a diplomatic channel between the US, Iran and powers in the region.

“Egypt is the only major power in the region that still adopts a near-neutral stance,” Al-Sayyid told AFP, adding that “only Israel” benefits from a firmer Egyptian stance.

Mediterranean fallout

Egyptian ports have this year absorbed substantial trade rerouted from the Gulf, as major shipping companies have tried to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, according to data from risk intelligence firm Vortexa and ship tracker MarineTraffic.

Following the Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia and ensuing attacks on ships crossing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, tankers transporting Saudi crude have used the Suez Canal and an overland Egyptian pipeline as the only safe, albeit expensive, route.

But that alternative route depends on the safety of Egyptian shipping lanes and, crucially, the Mediterranean.

“I expect at least some vessel owners and operators to adopt a wait-and-see approach as the risks around Suez’s northern gateway are assessed,” George Morris, a market analyst at Vortexa, told AFP.

Market behavior, he said, will depend “on whether the attack is viewed as an isolated incident or the beginning of a broader escalation”.

The Egyptian government — for which the Suez Canal is a crucial foreign currency earner — has put out multiple statements affirming that marine traffic is flowing normally and the Damietta port remains operational.

By Agence France-Presse

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As the Iran war intensifies again, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East has warned that cellphone videos and images shared online by American soldiers could help Iran attack U.S. bases, and some service members may soon be ordered to surrender their phones.

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), raised the concern in a previously unreported letter dated July 28.

He said Iran was gaining real-time data into the success or failure of its missile and drone strikes by monitoring news reports and online content that included “reactions, photos, and footage from the cellphones of our troops.”

“The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries,” Cooper wrote. He urged forces to “redouble our focus on operational security” but stopped short of recommending specific measures in the memo.

According to Reuters, some US troops stationed in Jordan have already been notified their phones will be seized in the coming days. More comprehensive restrictions are possible across the tumultuous region because of operational security concerns.

Cooper cited one specific example in the letter: a video captured on a service member’s Meta smart glasses and posted on Instagram during an Iranian missile and drone attack. The footage showed where and how the individual evacuated to a bunker. Without such publicly available material, Cooper said, Iran would struggle to determine whether its weapons had missed by tens of meters, struck an empty tarmac or hit a populated facility, thanks in part to U.S. electronic jamming and other battlefield tactics.

“Iran knows the weapons were fired; however, their forces do not know if they missed by 50 meters, hit an empty tarmac, or successfully struck a crowded facility,” he wrote.

“Detailed lists, descriptions, and analyses of what was hit, openly published by news outlets, are essentially performing Iran’s Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) for them, free of charge.”

Public disclosures of strike details, he added, could serve as “an immediate green light” for secondary, more devastating follow-up attacks.

The warning comes as the conflict that began in late February has killed 18 U.S. troops and wounded more than 600, according to official figures.

On July 13, the Financial Times reported that mobile phone networks across the Middle East had been targeted by a wave of cyberattacks aimed at locating American forces and contractors around the same time as U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian positions.

CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins confirmed the authenticity of Cooper’s letter, describing it as “a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security.” He declined to discuss specific protective measures.

Meanwhile, the US military conducted a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran on Thursday in retaliation against Tehran targeting American bases in Jordan.

US President Donald Trump had vowed to hit Iran “hard” after Tehran launched missiles at Jordan.

American forces “successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran”, and struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard targets including military command centers, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

In Iraq, the joint US-Saudi air operation followed attacks by “terrorist militias loyal to Iran” on its oil facilities. The US military said logistics and weapons sites belonging to an Iran-aligned group were targeted in the strikes.

Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi alliance said the attacks killed at least 20 of its members. It condemned a “dangerous escalation” against an “official security institution”.

Two Hashed officials said five Iranian advisors were among those killed.

Iraq slammed the US-Saudi strikes and said it rejects “all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justifications presented”.

The Ministerial Council for National Security said it would “confront any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and prevent any source from using Iraqi territory to threaten neighboring states”.

According to Fox News, however, Trump said the strikes were “coordinated with the Iraqi government”.

The strikes follow growing US pressure on Iraq to disarm pro-Iran groups. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited both the US and Iran.

With AFP Inputs

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down a Turkish-made “cutting-edge” Bayraktar Akıncı drone operated by Saudi Arabia over the northern Al-Jawf region.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group’s forces downed the drone with “an appropriate weapon” while it was carrying out “hostile operations” in Yemeni airspace.

Media affiliated with the Iran-aligned group later published images of burning wreckage that appeared consistent with an Akıncı, including what they identified as a Saudi tail number. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the claim, which could not be independently verified.

If confirmed, it would mark the first reported loss of an Akıncı — a high-altitude, long-endurance armed reconnaissance drone manufactured by Turkey’s Baykar — in Yemen.

The announcement came a day after the Houthis said they had launched missile and drone strikes on Saudi energy facilities in the Jazan and Yanbu regions, in what they described as retaliation for Saudi-led airstrikes on Houthi targets.

It was the second time this month the group has claimed to have brought down a Saudi-operated drone.

On July 14, Saree said Houthi forces had shot down a Chinese-made Wing Loong II UAV over Al-Bayda governorate in central Yemen, though no supporting evidence was released at the time.

Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, Iran reportedly downed a Wing Loong II drone, operated either by Saudi Arabia or the UAE.

During a closer examination of the wreckage, several prominent OSINT analysts identified it as  Wing Loong II based on wing-root geometry, fuselage shape, and other structural features that match the Chinese drone.

Notably, the Wing Loong is also operated by Iran’s neighbor, Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Saudi defense ministry said it thwarted various drones fired by pro-Iran groups in Iraq.

The latest attacks come during a lull in the fighting since Saturday, following 13 days of exchanges of fire between the US and Iran.

The Saudi defense ministry said “terrorist attempts were launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iranian-backed terrorist militias”, according to an official statement posted on social media.

The ministry said the drones targeted petroleum facilities in areas in the country’s east and the capital Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia pressed Iraq to “take all necessary measures to ensure the prevention of the use of its territory as a launching point” for attacks, according to a separate statement posted by an official Saudi broadcaster.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations had accused pro-Iran militias in Iraq of launching waves of attacks targeting their territory during the earlier phase of the conflict.

Riyadh and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have also traded strikes in recent days, with the Houthis declaring a naval blockade on the kingdom’s ports. On Monday, the Houthis said they fired drones on Saudi oil infrastructure in response to incursions by the kingdom’s drones.

Riyadh had yet to comment on the Houthis’ claims.

With AFP Inputs

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Iran has warned of “unforeseen” consequences after Ukraine’s attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.

“This action by Ukraine was an absolutely illegal and unjustified act, contrary to the Charter of the United Nations, as well as a dangerous act of adventurism that will certainly not go unanswered by us,” the ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing, adding that the consequences of Ukraine’s action “will certainly be unforeseen”.

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran would respond to a deadly attack by Ukraine on an Iranian ship.

It came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had carried out long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea against vessels transporting military cargo involving Iran, underscoring the increasingly international dimensions of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor,” Araghchi said on X, describing it as “a blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war”.He added that, during calls with the European Union’s Kaja Kallas and Russian top diplomat Sergei Lavrov, he “made clear that what the freeloader in Kyiv did CANNOT GO UNANSWERED”.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the attack caused the ship “to explode, killing one sailor and injuring several others”.The Islamic republic “has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine”, the ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that armed forces had achieved “very strong results with long‑range strikes in the Caspian Sea — including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship”.

Ukraine’s intelligence services reported on Telegram that drone attacks had been carried out against “cargo vessels under international sanctions that were used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia”.According to Iranian state television, the foreign ministry summoned the Ukrainian charge d’affaires in Tehran to protest this “hostile and criminal act”.

Ukraine Punches Hole in the “Caspian Highway”

As EurAsian Times reported earlier, it is Russia that is sending components for attack drones to Iran via the Caspian Sea, helping Tehran restock its arsenal.

It is said that many vessels operating between Russian ports like Astrakhan and Makhachkala and Iranian ports such as Bandar Anzali in the Caspian Sea function as a “dark” or shadow fleet. The merchant vessels of the two countries are said to be turning off their automatic identification system transponders in the Caspian Sea, allowing them to transport goods undetected by satellite surveillance.

According to a report in the New York Times, Iranian officials have said that efforts to open alternative trade routes are progressing rapidly, with four Iranian ports (Amirabad, Bandar Anzali,  Nowshahr, and Caspian port)  along the Caspian working around the clock to bring in wheat, corn, animal feed, sunflower oil, and other supplies.

Similarly, Russian trade officials have been quoted as saying there has been a swift increase in Caspian shipping in recent months. Two million tons of Russian wheat that used to be shipped annually to Iran through the Black Sea — now under threat of Ukrainian attacks — is now going via the Caspian.

Apparently, between July and February, Iran imported nearly 6 million tons of grain from Russia, double year-ago levels. Four Iranian Caspian ports now run 24/7 to process surges in wheat, corn, animal feed, and sunflower oil rerouted from blocked southern routes.

America’s New Headache: How Iran’s Kheibar Shekan Missiles Are Challenging U.S. Air Defense Systems

Russia is said to operate three grain-exporting ports on the Caspian: two in Astrakhan and one in Makhachkala, with a combined capacity of at least 3 million tons. A new 1.5-million-ton terminal in Makhachkala is expected to be completed by 2028.

In other words, the landlocked Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world, has been proven to be a safe passageway for overt and covert trade between Russia and Iran. By rebuilding Iran’s offensive capabilities, this is helping Tehran persist as an adversary of the US despite overwhelming American military superiority.

Unlike the Persian Gulf, the United States cannot interdict ships on the Caspian because only the five bordering nations have access. And that is because, under the 2018 Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, only the five bordering nations—Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan—have exclusive jurisdiction over it.

Third-party militaries are strictly prohibited. Only the five littoral states can maintain military forces there. The US Navy, or, for that matter, any NATO member, has no legal right or physical ability to enter, patrol, or intercept ships here.

Containing vast reserves of oil and gas, the Caspian Sea has, of late, assumed many strategic dimensions. First is its geography – sitting at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia, it acts as a buffer zone and transit corridor between competing spheres of influence.

Trump Orders Pentagon to Ditch China & Russia Materials from Missiles, Jets & Drones: “Buy Secure, Not Cheap”

Multimodal (rail, road, maritime) arteries such as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (connecting China through Central Asian states, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, and Turkey to the European Union) and the North-South transport links involving Russia, Iran, and India. These bypass traditional oceanic chokepoints and are vital for regional integration.

Important pipeline systems linked to the Caspian region help transport energy to Europe and global markets while bypassing Russia or Iran in some cases. This makes the region central to European energy security, global oil supply diversification, and geopolitical influence over energy corridors.

Secondly, and this is particularly significant in the context of Iran, Moscow and Tehran signed a strategic partnership treaty in 2025 and have pledged to enhance military cooperation, including regular naval exercises in the Caspian.

In 2020, Iran and Russia started their first joint strategic naval exercises in the Caspian Sea. Since then, Russia’s Caspian Flotilla has been regularly hosting Iranian Navy and IRGC Navy vessels. Mutual port calls and what are called “PASSEX” drills, which focus on, among others,  air defense and anti-ship missile launches, have become more frequent or routine.

Apparently, these exercises allow Iran to test Russian-provided air-defense radars and electronic warfare systems that are harder to deploy in the Persian Gulf due to US monitoring.

It may be noted that in March, Israel had targeted the 4th Artesh Naval District Headquarters at Bandar Anzali, destroying several naval assets, including missile boats (likely Sina-class) and the Hamzeh corvette. This reportedly wiped out roughly half of Iran’s warships and patrol vessels in the Caspian, affecting the supply chains, particularly relating to  Russian-supplied drone components, ammunition, and other military hardware.

Israel called it “one of the most significant” strikes conducted during combat operations, as this “shattered the illusion that the Caspian Sea was a secure and closed corridor for Moscow and Tehran to bypass blockades in the Persian Gulf”.

Israel’s Qatar Ultimatum: Ex-PM Pledges to Declare Qatar an Enemy State Despite Its Strong U.S. Ties

After Israeli strikes hit Iran’s Caspian naval command, Russia is reported to have increased joint drills with Iran to keep the country as a militarily viable partner against Western pressure, giving, in the process, the Caspian Flotilla a combat-relevant mission beyond coastal patrol.

By attacking an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, Ukraine did more than hit one vessel. It struck at a key supply route that links Russia and Iran.

Iran still calls this route commercial, but it has become a two-way military channel: Iranian drones and parts go north to help Russia fight Ukraine, while Russian parts and technology go south to help Iran rebuild its weapons.

• Author and veteran journalist Prakash Nanda is Chairman of the Editorial Board of the EurAsian Times and has been commenting on politics, foreign policy, and strategic affairs for nearly three decades. He is a former National Fellow of the Indian Council for Historical Research and a recipient of the Seoul Peace Prize Scholarship.
• CONTACT: prakash.nanda (at) hotmail.com

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