Can Iran replace sea trade with land routes?
Iran is shifting trade toward northern ports and land routes as its southern shipping faces a US blockade. Analysts say the corridors can keep essential goods moving, but cannot replace maritime trade.
Can Iran replace its maritime trade with land routes? The US-led naval blockade has significantly disrupted trade through Iran's southern ports, but the country has been discussing shifting more commerce through northern ports, railways, and land corridors for years. Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh, who recently visited Moscow, suggested that Iran should activate its northern borders and redirect a significant portion of imports and exports away from the southern maritime routes.
Iran has seven neighboring countries, access to the Caspian Sea, and several land routes linking it to Russia, Central Asia, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Caucasus. In theory, this gives Tehran more options than a country dependent on a single maritime gateway.
Iran has more unused capacity than its dependence on southern ports might suggest. The country's northern ports have more than 30 million tons of nominal annual capacity, with less than one-third currently in use. Turkey provides a route toward Europe, while rail freight between Iran and Turkey relies on train ferries across Lake Van, carrying about 477,000 tons in 2024.
Sarakhs, Incheh Borun, Astara, and the Rasht-Astara rail link connect Iran to Central Asia, Russia, and potentially China. Astara's freight terminal is designed to handle 3.5 to 4 million tons annually but only processed 345,000 tons in the first five months of 2026.
Certain goods are more easily redirected through these routes, such as grain from Russia and Kazakhstan, medicines, industrial inputs, and regional trade. However, crude oil shipments face higher costs and lower capacity. Moving a container from China to Iran through southern ports costs around $3,000, while overland transport costs about $12,000.
A prolonged shift to land routes could add approximately $18 billion to Iran's trading costs. While Iran's alternatives to maritime trade can reduce vulnerability and distribute risk, they cannot fully replace the scale of Persian Gulf ports and seaborne energy exports.
Written by urgent.news from DW Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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