PARIS, France - Russia started fuel exports to Iran by rail this year for the first time after traditional buyers shunned trade with Moscow, according to three industry sources and export data.
Russia and Iran, both under Western sanctions, are forging closer ties in order to support their economies and to undermine Western sanctions which both Moscow and Tehran cast as unjustified.
Western sanctions of Russian oil products over what Moscow calls its ''special military operation'' in Ukraine have reshaped global fuel markets with tankers taking longer routes and suppliers choosing exotic destinations and ways of transportation.
Iran has been under Western sanctions for years with limited access to global markets.
The oil ministries of Russia and Iran did not reply to requests for comment.
