Iran, Turkey inaugurate new customs posts at common border

Tehran and Ankara opened new customs posts on their common border — a quiet but consequential move while Iran is under maximum US sanctions and the Hormuz route is constrained. Lead with the workaround: overland trade through Turkey is becoming the alternative artery as the maritime chokepoint stays risky. The angle: NATO-member Turkey is institutionalising sanctioned-Iran trade infrastructure, and Washington has not — visibly — objected. Connect to the broader pattern of Erdoğan's hedge between US alignment and regional autonomy.