Iranian oil trader Hossein Shamkhani has been shipping Iranian weapons, including missiles, drone components, and dual-use goods, across the Caspian Sea to Russia since mid-2023, according to U.S. and European officials. Shamkhani, who goes by the alias "Hector", used a network of companies including Dubai-based Crios Shipping LLC to facilitate more than a quarter of Iran’s weapons shipments to Russia, which are paid for by barters of Russian oil. Shamkhani also oversees the U.S.-sanctioned companies Oceanlink Maritime DMCC and Koban Shipping LLC on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. Two ships operated by Crios, Sea Castle (also known as Tooka) and Sea Anchor (also known as Roja), each made at least five voyages from Iranian ports to the Russian port of Astakhan in 2024.