This week has brought new US attacks on Iranian infrastructure and logistics, including fresh overnight attacks on some half a dozen bridges, and even reports of strikes on rail hubs and airports.
The New York Times observes Friday that "Bridges, rail lines, power and water facilities, and other targets in Iran, Kuwait and elsewhere in the Middle East were attacked in airstrikes on Friday as the United States and Iran escalated their weeklong crisis over the Strait of Hormuz."
Russia has chimed in, reiterating that its close relations with Tehran offer the country which is now under American bombs and important economic lifeline.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in fresh remarks at a press conference following talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov reminded his audience that the backbone of Russia-Iran trade remains the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a network of shipping lanes, railways, and roads linking Russia with more southerly Asian continent allies.
This 'north-south corridor' as it is sometimes reference, will become all the more important as the US-Iran conflict drags on with no end in sight.
"The topic is indeed very important, especially in a situation where the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is dragging on, as it appears. The global economy and global transport routes are suffering from this," Lavrov stated.
According to more via Russian media:
Lavrov expressed optimism about the trilateral project involving Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, noting that Tehran has completed land allocation on the Rasht-Astara section, which had long prevented construction from starting. Railway chiefs from the three countries have discussed practical issues for beginning work, and progress is expected, he added.
The North-South transport corridor is a multimodal route of about 7,200 kilometers (4,473 miles) connecting St. Petersburg to India's Mumbai port. Russia and Iran signed an agreement in May 2023 to build the Rasht-Astara railway section, the last missing link of the corridor's western route, with the project estimated at 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion), of which 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) is a Russian loan.
As for the current situation in Iran, while vital infrastructure and even energy sites have indeed in many cases been obliterated, the lights are still on across the country, but the energy grid is coming under strain in the south of late.
🇮🇷Jembatan kereta api "Aq-Teke-Khan" di Kabupaten Aq Qala adalah koridor perkeretaapian strategis yang menghubungkan Iran dengan China dan Rusia telah dibuka kembali hanya empat hari setelah bentang tengahnya rusak parah akibat serangan udara AS. pic.twitter.com/bqnRnGi2QV
— Z Operation (@yo2thok) July 14, 2026The prior ceasefire which has this week clearly collapsed saw multiple damaged rail lines and bridges get restored in record time - sometimes within 40 to 96 hours - using domestic engineering teams. These efforts have showcased by pro-Iran and even sometimes official diplomatic accounts on X.
Tyler Durden Sat, 07/18/2026 - 07:35Finnish MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen has warned that Britain is fast becoming the worst example in Europe when it comes to defending free speech after he became the latest elected European politician to be banned from entering the country ahead of his appearance at the inaugural Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Great Britain.
In a video posted on social media, the conservative politician said, “I was just banned from entering the U.K. I am an elected member of the European Parliament and was invited to speak at the very first conservative CPAC conference in the U.K.
“We had the adverts out, flights and hotel booked, and I was supposed to head to the airport in just two hours.
“Then, only moments ago, I was informed that my presence wouldn’t be conducive to the public good.
“Throughout my political career, I have defended our girls and women from the threats posed by mass migration. For some, like U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, this is hate speech.
“For me, it is simply what all politicians should be doing: addressing the problem, changing the legislation and sending them home.”
Tynkkynen then warned the British people that something is “deeply wrong” with their country, and that it was “becoming the worst example in Europe of the death of freedom of speech.”
"Dear British People, something is deeply wrong with your country. You are becoming the worst example in Europe of the death of free speech."
Finnish conservative @SebastianMEP reveals he is the latest elected politician to be banned from entering Britain on the eve of #CPACUK,… pic.twitter.com/Q73a2dwtGQ
He urged them to change their leadership if they wanted to change their lives “for the better.”
Tynkkynen is a member of the co-governing Finns Party, a right-wing populist party that is currently the second-largest in the Finnish parliament. The party holds seven of the 19 ministerial positions in Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s coalition government.
He is also a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), the European parliamentary faction originally founded by the U.K. Conservative Party when Britain was still a member of the European Union.
Tynkkynen is the latest in a growing list of European and US politicians and political commentators to be banned from Britain after the Home Office deemed their conservative views not to be “conducive to the public good.”
This is the phrase used by the U.K. government in notices handed to individuals when they are informed that their Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) has been revoked.
In May, Polish MEP Dominik Tarczyński vowed to sue U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally after the Home Office cancelled his permission to travel to Britain ahead of a major patriotic rally in London.
“This is what communism looks like in the 21st century,” Tarczyński said.
“Starmer will be sued by me. Not the government, not the Home Office, but Starmer personally. Once you lose the next election, communist, we’ll meet in court!” the conservative politician added.
Other figures banned ahead of speaking at the London rally back in May included Dutch conservative activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek, US commentator Joey Mannarino, MAGA influencer Valentina Gomez and Spanish political commentator Ada Lluch.
Tyler Durden Sat, 07/18/2026 - 07:00