With the Iran war disrupting traditional energy supply routes and the West seeking to lessen reliance on Russian transit networks, Trans-Caspian corridors have again emerged as a focus of international diplomacy and investment.

The US strikes on Iranian air defense and radar systems appear intended as a limited warning to Tehran rather than the opening salvo of a broader military campaign, according to senior US officials and regional security experts.

The United States said it launched "self-defense" strikes against Iran on June 9 just hours after President Donald Trump said Washington was compelled to respond to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter by Iranian forces a day earlier.