Contraband trade in Iran worth $19 billion: report

[demoleft]

Source: afp

AFP - Iranian contraband trade is worth 19 billion dollars a year, according to estimates by the head of Iran's anti-smuggling department, cited by a local newspaper on Thursday.

"Some 16 billion dollars worth of goods have been smuggled into Iran, while three billion dollars worth have been exported illegally during the last Iranian year," that ended in March 2010, Saeed Mortazavi was quoted as saying in Donya-e Eqtesad newspaper.
...
Much of the illegal trafficking takes place between Iran and its number one trade partner the United Arab Emirates, with around one hundred speedboats smuggling goods daily across the Gulf, an official at the Iranian chamber of commerce Hamid Hosseini said last year.

But Iran's territorial borders are also witnessing contraband activity, especially those with Iraq, ever since the fall of ex-president Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20100603-contraband-trade-iran-worth-19-billion-report

---

big figures.

[aquart]

1. Contraband? Books? Movies? Drugs? What?

[Tempest]

2. Items on the UN's sanction list

Things like gasoline, aircraft parts, financial transactions and travel restrictions.

http://www.dfat.gov.au/un/unsc_sanctions/iran.html

[Hestia]

3. If it is for legimate items, who cares? It seems to be the US' biggest exports - smuggling and crime

[Tempest]

4. It's all part of the demonization of Iran

By calling it "contraband" and not the correct title of "breaking sanctions" it looks like Iran is dealing in drugs, arm sales and other real contraband articles.