Russians were left without Toyota and RAM from the UAE due to the war in Iran

The military conflict in Iran directly affected logistics: the supply of cars from the UAE to Russia, which went through Iranian territory, was blocked. The editors of Motor magazine found out the details.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched massive strikes against targets in Iran. The armed forces of the Islamic Republic responded by striking military targets of the Western allies in the region. Last year, 10.5 thousand passenger cars were imported from the UAE to Russia – this is approximately three times more than a year earlier, says Sergei Tselikov, head of the Autostat agency. Among the imported cars there were 2.2 thousand new ones (up to 3 years old) and 8.3 thousand used ones (over 3 years old).

For comparison, the entire volume of imports at the end of 2025 amounted to about one and a half million units (including new and used). Against this background, 10 thousand cars from the UAE is a modest, but important share for specific buyers. However, in January 2026, deliveries had already collapsed to 335 vehicles, and now they have stopped altogether.

For the market, this volume is a drop in the bucket. But for specific suppliers and buyers [такие поставки]of course, are important

Sergey Tselikov
head of the analytical agency “Avtostat”

Why did supplies stop?

Retaliatory strikes against US and allied targets in the Persian Gulf have complicated operations in the region. According to media reports, one of the attacks hit the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, the main hub from where cars were sent by sea to Russia.

But this is not the main problem. Before the outbreak of hostilities, Iran was used as a key logistics corridor between the UAE and the Russian Federation. The scheme worked like this: cars were transported by sea to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, from there they were transported by car carriers to the north of the country – to the Caspian ports, and then sent by ferries to Astrakhan or Makhachkala.

Given that Iranian authorities have now limited the Internet, and traditional means of communication are unstable, the fate of the cars that were already on the road remains unknown.

“It is still impossible to understand the depth of the problem. Some cars are on the way now [через Иран]. Naturally, we don’t know what’s wrong with them. There is no connection, no Internet. We are waiting for information,” Evgeniy Zabelin, head of EN Cars (supplying foreign cars), told Motor magazine.

What will happen to cars already paid for?

According to the author of the “Fox Rules” project, owner of car dealerships of the same name, Elena Lisovskaya, there are currently no properly working alternative routes. One of the magazine’s interlocutors, who is also involved in wholesale supplies of foreign cars from the UAE (he wished to remain anonymous), is also pessimistic. If it is possible to rebuild logistics, cars from the UAE will cease to be of interest to Russians for a long time due to increased risks and costs, he noted.

At our car dealership, a certain number of client cars are actually on the way [через Иран]and there is no information on them at all

Elena Lisovskaya
Author of the “Fox Rules” project, owner of car dealerships of the same name

It is still unclear what to do for those who managed to order and pay for RAM, Toyota or Mitsubishi (these are the most popular brands among the new offers). Suppliers are waiting for information from their Middle Eastern partners. New orders are not being accepted, dealers have begun to warn customers about this.

“We have a car delivery service [из ОАЭ] temporarily suspended. A few days ago, information appeared that it had been suspended, but they had not yet given a time frame,” they previously told a Motor magazine correspondent who contacted the Fresh auto marketplace hotline.

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The editors’ interlocutors were unable to name the exact amount of equipment ordered by the Russians, which may now be located in the territories of Iran and the UAE, but it is “absolutely not thousands of pieces.” Those cars parked in Emirati parking lots are safe.

According to expert Zabelin, fans of RAM pickup trucks will lose more than others due to the Middle East crisis: recently, our compatriots have been actively interested in them as an alternative to classic SUVs, and it was this marla that led in the structure of imports of new cars from the UAE (33% of all deliveries)