Israel Hits Iran’s Caspian Port Used for Russia Arms Transfers in First-Ever Strike

Israel has carried out a strike on Iran’s Bandar Anzali port on the Caspian Sea, marking the first known Israeli attack in the region, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 24.

According to the report, the port had been used by Iran and Russia as a key transit hub for shipments of oil, grain, weapons, and drones.

Israeli military officials said the strike targeted naval vessels, port infrastructure, a command center, and a ship repair facility. Photos reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show damage to an Iranian naval headquarters at the port as well as destroyed vessels.

The operation represents a significant geographic expansion of Israeli strike activity, reaching into a region previously untouched by such attacks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, maritime traffic between Iran and Russia through the Caspian Sea has played a critical role in sustaining military supplies. In 2023 alone, ships transported more than 300,000 artillery shells and around one million rounds of ammunition from Iran to Russia.

At the same time, the logistics network is closely intertwined with civilian trade, including grain shipments, raising the risk of broader disruption to Iran’s food supply chains.

The strike coincided with Israeli attacks on Iran’s South Pars gas field, the country’s largest natural gas deposit, underscoring a wider campaign targeting strategic infrastructure.

Maria Snegovaya, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that cargo volumes through Bandar Anzali tripled over the past year.

“There are reasons to believe this is one of the key channels for sanctions evasion,” she said.

The United States has previously imposed sanctions on Iranian and Russian entities involved in transporting ammunition and drones across the Caspian Sea.

“The main goal of the strike is to limit Russian smuggling and show Iran that it does not have full maritime defense in the Caspian,” said former Israeli Navy commander Eliezer Marom.

Earlier, a top Ukrainian diplomat stated that the shipments of modernized drones to Iran made Russian drone production sites legitimate military targets.

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