Iranian oil tycoon smuggles arms to Russia via Caspian Sea for Ukraine war

Hossein Shamkhani, an Iranian oil magnate, is reportedly behind a quarter of Iran’s arms shipments to Russia, aiding its war against Ukraine. Bloomberg, citing sources, reported the information.
Hossein Shamkhani is the son of former Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani, now an advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to the report, Shamkhani Jr. is part of a group funneling weapons to Russia across the Caspian Sea, playing a “key role” in supplying Iranian arms to Moscow.
Shamkhani owns a network of companies exporting oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia to nations evading sanctions. His empire also includes a hedge fund with offices in London, Geneva, and Singapore, plus a fleet of tankers and cargo ships.
Sources say that since 2023, companies tied to Shamkhani, including Dubai-based Crios Shipping LLC, have been moving weapons, drone components, and dual-use goods by sea.
Previously operating in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, Crios vessels shifted to the Caspian in mid-2023. Ships like the Sea Castle and Sea Anchor have made at least five trips this year between Iranian ports and Astrakhan, Russia. Other ships are likely involved.
Moscow pays for these shipments in oil, though the exact volume of weapons delivered remains unclear. To avoid leaving a trail, the shipments are reportedly undeclared on official documents.
Recently, Tehran has been accused of supplying missiles to Moscow via a now sanctioned ship for use in the war on Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of obtaining Iranian Fatah-360 ballistic missiles and said Moscow “will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians”, having already acquired Iranian-made HESA Shahed 136 drones - known as Geran-2 in Russian - which have been used to bombard Ukrainian cities and military positions.
After Russia's invasion in Ukraine, Moscow has looked to outside suppliers for weaponry due to the depletion of its own supplies, particularly rockets and artillery shells.
A tough sanctions regime on Moscow-linked entities by Washington has led the Russian military to focus on 'pariah suppliers' such as North Korea and Iran.