Iran shifts trade to northern ports and land routes amid US blockade

Tehran is redirecting a growing share of its international commerce to northern ports on the Caspian Sea and to overland routes through neighboring countries after the United States tightened restrictions that have effectively blocked Iranian vessels operating from its southern ports on the Persian Gulf. The shift involves increased use of ports such as Anzali and Bandar-e Anzali in Iran’s Gilan province, as well as rail and road links that pass through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Russia, allowing shipments of oil, petrochemicals and other commodities to bypass the maritime corridor most vulnerable to U.S. interdiction.

Analysts acknowledge that the northern corridors can sustain the flow of essential goods and mitigate some of the pressure caused by the blockade, but they caution that the capacity and efficiency of land and Caspian routes remain limited compared with the volume handled by the Gulf’s deep‑water ports. Consequently, while the alternative pathways provide a temporary logistical buffer, they are not expected to fully substitute the broader maritime trade network that underpins Iran’s export economy.