As China shores up support for Iran, the two allies are working to soften the blow from a US-led blockade on Tehran’s oil exports and trade flows. Amid this effort, attention is increasingly turning to overland trade routes connecting the Islamic Republic to China and neighboring states. 

On May 8, Bloomberg reported that cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has surged since the blockade began in April, citing unnamed sources familiar with the shipments. But while the rail link underscores the importance of China-Iran cooperation during the war amid Beijing’s broader diplomatic support, it likely won’t come close to replacing the scale of maritime oil exports previously flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. 

Instead, Iran’s network of rail, trucking and inland shipping routes appears aimed at something more modest yet strategically important: keeping Iran’s embattled wartime economy functioning and oil production online just long enough to withstand mounting US pressure while signaling that Tehran still has options.

What happened: Reports over recent weeks point to a broader push by Iran to reroute trade flows away from the Strait of Hormuz. The maritime chokepoint is under a dual blockade, with Iran seeking to control Gulf seaborne trade as the United States attempts to stop Iranian exports and restart commercial traffic.