Nasim Bahr Kish, an Iranian company that already controls a majority stake in Russia’s Astrakhan Port, has submitted a formal proposal to acquire the remaining shares.
This includes the 25 per cent stake currently held by the Russian government, according to company records reviewed by Reuters.
Nasim Bahr Kish currently controls more than 53 per cent of Astrakhan Port’s common shares and over 51 per cent of preferred shares.
This bid, valued at approximately 437.5 million roubles ($5.55 million), would grant Nasim Bahr Kish complete control over one of Russia’s key Caspian Sea terminals.
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The port, located in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan, operates a vital terminal on the Caspian Sea.
The terminal is critical for the transhipment of commodities such as grain, metals, timber, and fertilisers, and serves as a major export gateway for Russian goods to Iran and other destinations via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Reuters reports that this development highlights the deepening economic partnership between Tehran and Moscow, particularly as both countries seek to strengthen trade routes and logistics networks in the face of ongoing Western sanctions.
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The move was initially reported by the Russian newspaper Kommersant and is seen as a significant step in integrating Iranian and Russian supply chains.
Operational data cited by Reuters indicates that the Astrakhan terminal handled about 275,000 metric tonnes of grain during the 2023/2024 agricultural season. However, shipments dropped to 139,500 tonnes in the current season, with no exports recorded in May.
The Caspian Sea route remains a traditional channel for Russian grain exports to Iran, but volumes have recently declined due to a temporary Russian export ban on barley and corn. Analysts cited by Reuters expect grain shipments to recover in the 2025/2026 season, partly because of a reduced harvest in Iran this year.
