The Russian superyacht Nord, linked to billionaire Aleksei Mordashov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has successfully navigated through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming one of the few vessels to transit this maritime route currently blocked by the war in Iran, according to the MarineTraffic platform. The event occurred after a meeting between an Iranian delegation and the Russian president in St. Petersburg.
The luxurious vessel, 142 meters long and valued at over 500 million dollars (more than 400 million euros), made the journey between Dubai and Muscat, Oman, last weekend, despite private traffic avoiding the area since the start of hostilities. Although Mordashov himself is not formally listed as the owner, records show that the Nord was registered in 2022 in the name of a company owned by his wife. With an estimated net worth of 37 billion dollars, Mordashov tops the list of richest Russian citizens according to Forbes magazine.
Russia and Iran met on Monday in St. Petersburg to strengthen relations
It has not yet been clarified how the superyacht obtained navigation permission in an area where Tehran has severely restricted traffic, affecting a fifth of the world’s oil supply. This step coincides with a tightening of ties between the Kremlin and the Iranian regime amid a full-scale war escalation, a conflict that has pushed Brent crude prices up to 109 dollars per barrel. Precisely on Monday, Putin received an Iranian delegation in St. Petersburg led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who described the link between the two countries as a “strategic relationship.” According to the state agency TASS, the Russian leader praised Iran’s “brave struggle” for its sovereignty against pressure from the United States and Israel to Araqchi.
The Iranian foreign minister reinforced this message by sharing images on the social network X in which he is seen shaking hands with Putin and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. In his posts, Araqchi highlighted the depth of a strategic partnership that, according to him, has been strengthened by recent global events.
Meanwhile, the Nord continues its journey after having avoided previous seizures in places like Hong Kong or the Maldives, despite requests from Western nations to freeze the magnate’s assets. Mordashov, chairman of the Severstal steel company, has remained under sanctions from the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For now, it is unknown whether the businessman was aboard the superyacht during the crossing.
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