@Flashman:

I was thinking of adding a “Persian Corridor” around here along the lines of the Burma Road.  Being able to use the Caspian would be vital in this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Corridor

In our game, the US player moved 4-5 ftr from Persia to Moscow, and inconsciously he remade the history :-)

It’s a fine strategy for the US to take Persia for himself and build there a minor complex to send reinforcements in Russia, and it’s historically accurate.