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Tough economic sanctions the US and European Union imposed on Russia and Iran have succeeded in cutting off those nations from much of the world economy. But they’ve also had an unintended effect: Moscow and Tehran are now joining forces to evade some of the crippling trade restrictions.

They’re investing billions of dollars on an 1,800-mile trade route that enables them to move products of all kinds over land and water that’s beyond the reach of the West–to buyers in the fast-growing economies of Asia.Bloomberg journalists Golnar Motevalli in London and Jonathan Tirone in Vienna describe how this new trade route operates on Tuesday’s episode of The Big Take podcast. Dr. Maria Shagina, an expert in sanctions, explains how they work and whether Iran and Russia can ultimately succeed in outmaneuvering the West.

Read the story: Russia and Iran Are Building a Trade Route That Defies SanctionsThis podcast is produced by the Big Take Podcast team: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Rebecca Chaisson, Michael Falero and Federica Romaniello, Associate Producers: Sam Gebauer and Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineers: Raphael Amsili and Gilda Garcia.

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