# Russia moots direct rail link to India via Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan 2026-08-10T05:03:26+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin has proposed building a direct railway link to the Indian Ocean, with routes potentially passing through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He told TASS that alternatives to the Bosphorus and Strait of Hormuz must be explored after US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory maritime blockade disrupted energy shipments. The Strait of Hormuz handles 25% of global oil trade and nearly 20% of LNG. In 2024, Russia sent two trainloads of coal to India via the INSTC route through Iran, but US strikes on southern Iranian ports have made that corridor unusable. Russia is now looking east. India has become Russia's second-largest crude buyer, with Russian oil accounting for a record 55% of India's imports last month. Any rail corridor via Pakistan faces the hurdle of deeply strained India-Pakistan relations. An alternative route could use the proposed Trans-Afghan railway connecting Central Asia to Pakistani ports. ## Coverage - republicworld.com - businesstoday.in Tags: Central Asia, Iran conflict, Pakistan, Russia-India rail link, Strait of Hormuz, trade routes Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/russia-proposes-railway-to-india-via-iran-afghanistan-pakistan/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/russia-proposes-railway-to-india-via-iran-afghanistan-pakistan/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.