Sanctioned, cornered, and isolated by the West, Iran and Russia are striking back with something Washington cannot blockade: a 162 kilometre railway line that could reshape global trade forever.

The Rasht to Astara railway is more than just steel and concrete. It is the missing link in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200 kilometre network designed to slash trade costs by 30 per cent and cut shipping time from 37 days to just 19. That is almost half the time of the traditional Suez Canal route, and for two of the world's most heavily sanctioned economies, it represents nothing short of liberation.

Financed primarily by Moscow at a cost of roughly €1.6 billion, the project is being built by Russian engineers as part of a sweeping 20 year Comprehensive Strategi

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