The present study aimed to undertake a systematic assessment of the economic mechanisms by which the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran have adapted to prolonged sanctions pressure. The results showed that sanctions not only constrain but also stimulate institutional and infrastructural adaptation. The Russian Federation exploits its partnership with Iran to extend its external economic manoeuvring room, to mitigate transactional and financial risks, and to bolster energy and logistical cooperation. For its part, Iran sees this cooperation as a tool to diversify trade relations, ensure macroeconomic stability, and minimise the impact of external pressure. Particular focus is given to an analysis of Iran’s institutional experience as a state that has, over four decades, developed distinctive strategies of survival and of circumventing international restrictions, as well as the mechanisms through which this experience is transmitted to Russia. Using qualitative methods – content analysis of official documents, discourse analysis and institutional analysis – the authors uncover the substance of Russian-Iranian interaction as something more than enforced trade, namely as the formation of a sovereign coalition of sanctioned actors. The article analyses in detail the political-economic platforms of sanctions circumvention: the integration of national financial systems (bypassing SWIFT), the consolidation of a “grey fleet” for hydrocarbon transportation, and the creation of a protected geopolitical contour within the framework of the International North-South Transport Corridor. The findings show that sanctions function as a trigger for profound institutional transformation, facilitating a transition from declarative anti-hegemonism to the practical construction of an alternative regional order, beyond the control of the West
sanctions evasion; financial gateway; North-South corridor; external pressure; adaptation