IRISL plays crucial role in Damas-Tehran economic rapprochement

On a visit to Tehran on 6 December, the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Faisal al-Moqdad reaffirmed, alongside Iranian President Ebrahim Raïssi, the strategic nature of two allies’ economic cooperation – recently underlined by the Iranian fair held in Damascus. On the same day, in Lattakia port, the Israeli air force struck cargo that had just been unloaded by a ship belonging to the Iranian charterer Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), whose new line, between Bandar Abbas in Iran and the Syrian port city, is central to Syrian-Iranian maritime trade.

IRISL already a Washington target

Founded in 1967, IRISL has increased its annual turnover – $778m for the past year – despite the Covid-19 pandemic and US sanctions. Suspected of providing logistical support to the Pasdaran – in particular by facilitating weapon delivery to Syria – the charterer has been a US Treasury target since June 2020. The group’s leader, Mohammed Reza Modares Khiabani, who took the helm at IRISL in July 2019 after spending several years on its board of directors, has also been closely watched by the US. Yet despite being affected by the Trump administration’s salvo of sanctions last January, Khiabani remains determined for the international expansion of his shipping company to continue.

Since the beginning of the year Khiabani has been keen to open a permanent line to Lattakia. The current line seems to have been operational since the month of September at least, when a ship named Daisy was spotted between Bandar Abbas, Lattakia and Chornomorsk in Ukraine .The ship whose cargo was hit by Tel Aviv – the Artabaz – made the same journey to Lattakia between 26 and 28 November, then to Chornomorsk in Ukraine between 2 and 7 December and finally to Constanta in Romania before setting off again for Bandar Abbas, where it is due to dock on 21 December.

Tel Aviv raises its voice

As is often the case, Tsahal did not openly take responsibility for the strikes, but the destruction of these intermodal containers – which, according to some sources, contained weapons – testifies to a strengthening of Tel Aviv’s position in the context of the resumption of talks on the Iranian nuclear issue as well as Syria’s regional reinsertion, which is being backed by Tehran. Despite regular strikes on Syrian territory, Israel has, up until now, never targeted Lattakia port. The port is also located only a few streets away from the Russian base of Humeimim.