Iran-Russia Railroad Agreement Challenges Suez Canal Dominance.
Russia and Iran have signed a $1.7 billion agreement to build an intercontinental rail system that will connect India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, and other nations with a sea route under the International North-South Transport Corridor. The railway is set to rival the Suez Canal as a major global trade route. The deal is the latest in a string of agreements and partnerships between Moscow and Tehran amid increasingly strained ties with the West and their allied nations. It is unclear whether the trade route will be affected by international restrictions, but some reporting has suggested it could be "sanction-proof."