Russia To Export Coal To India Via Iran. It's A 4-Alarm-Bells Fire...

Hello sanction lovers. What are you going to do about this?

Russia Plans Coal Exports to India Via Iran

ShippingNews reports Russia plans coal exports to India via Iran

Russia has announced plans to export coal to India using Iran’s railways. This announcement was made during the BRICS transport ministers’ meeting at the 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Russia will use the International North-South Corridor (INSTC) to send coal to India. Igor Levitin, Russia’s presidential aide, stated that the first coal shipments will travel through Iran and Bandar Abbas before reaching India.

Mehrdad Bazrpash, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, emphasized the importance of the INSTC in enhancing transportation and transit among BRICS countries. During a video conference, he noted that this corridor could significantly boost synergy in the region.

In a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, Levitin reiterated that the first coal wagons would transit through Iran and Bandar Abbas en route to India. Both sides discussed cooperation, particularly the Rasht-Astara Railway construction project. This project is crucial for improving transportation links between Iran and Russia.

In a separate meeting, Oleg Belozyorov, president of Russian Railways, discussed expanding bilateral cooperation with Iran’s ambassador. They focused on implementing the INSTC and enhancing railway cooperation to boost freight transport between the two nations.

In 2023, Russia transported 600,000 tons of freight through Iran. This volume is expected to rise to 4 million tons per year in 2024, according to Russia’s deputy minister of transport. This significant increase underscores the importance of the INSTC for regional trade and cooperation.

Understanding the Importance

This announcement was made at the BRICS transport ministers’ meeting but that does not imply any progress on a BRICS currency.

To understand why, please see What Would it Take for a BRIC-Based Currency to Succeed?

However, the announcement does show how increasingly difficult it will be for the US to tell the world what to do.

How Many Tons of Coal?

Four Alarm Bells Fire

Biden will have concerns about Russia, Iran, the environment, and the fact that an ally effectively told the US to go to hell.

The ability of the US to tell the world what to do is ending. In may places, that ability has already ended.

February 18, 2024: How China Gets Around US Sanctions on Semiconductors

February 29, 2024: Sanction Irony, Trade Between Iran and Russia Soars as SWIFT Circumvented

April 23, 2024: The US Threatens to Sanction Companies That Don’t Give a Damn

May 20: The Futility of the US Trade War With China in Two Pictures

May 21, 2014: Another Sanction Failure: The US Blacklisted Xiaomi Three Years Ago Now it Makes EVs

US sanction madness has resulted in failure 100 percent of the time. Let’s review my favorite set of posts in this sanction series.

Biden Eases Sanctions on Venezuela, Blocks Rare Earth Mining in Alaska

The Inflation Reduction Act was supposed to increase permitting in the US. As the election nears, Biden is blocking oil drilling and mining in the Alaska.

Please consider Biden Eases Sanctions on Venezuela, Blocks Rare Earth Mining in Alaska

The most galling aspect of the [Inflation Reduction Act] bait and switch is a desperate need for rare earth minerals including gallium and germanium.

Critical Materials Risk Assessment by the US Department of Energy

Please consider a Critical Materials Risk Assessment by the US Department of Energy

Our own Department of Energy has placed some of the rare earth minerals we need for weapons systems, windmills, batteries, and aircraft on a critical materials list.

Nearly all of the minerals on the US critical materials list are mined or refined in China. In April, Biden just blocked production in the US.

It’s not only political madness, it’s economic madness.