19 Mar 2024
Thursday 13 December 2018 - 13:53
Story Code : 330508

Circumventing their own sanctions: US expands exports to Iran



Sputnik - Despite the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran, the US has significantly increased its exports of goods and services to the republic. This has been proven by data from the US Department of Economics and Statistics.




As ofOctober, the report says that US exports toIran have increased almost sevenfold and amounted to $109.2 million, while inOctober 2017, exports tothe Islamic Republic were only $16.1 million.

Sputnik has spoken toPeyman Moulavi, Secretary General ofthe Association ofIranian Economists, andAlexander Azadegan, Iranian political analyst based inthe USA, professor ofgeopolitics atthe University ofCalifornia, and chief editor ofImperiaNews, tofind outwhich products the US may send toIran, aswell ashow they can be purchased taking intoaccount the absence ofdiplomatic relations betweenTehran and Washington.

According toMoulavi, the volume ofthese exports is not really significant forthe country's economy:
"Certainly, there is a chance that withthe strengthening ofsanctions, some American goods will be imported toIran throughother countries. $109 million is not big money forthe Iranian economy. I don't know which US products are exported toIran. These could be goods that are not sanctioned, such asmedical equipment or medicines".


Speaking abouthow the US sends goods toIran and makes calculations underthe sanctions regime, Moulavi noted that he doesn't know all the details ofthat.
"Over the past40 years, sincethe first anti-Iranian sanctions, Iran has exported a significant number ofgoods tothe United States. The US was also exporting certain goods untilthe sanctions reached their peak; then the number ofgoods decreased due totransaction problems".


As Alexander Azadegan told Sputnik, the majority oftransactions betweenIran and the US are carried outthrough intermediaries:
"Most ofthe imported goods are related totechnology. Of course, there is no direct trade. Iran imports some US goods throughDubai, Oman, and other countries. Moreover, oil is also traded indirectly. We heard that Iran sells oil tothe United States; most transactions are carried outthrough intermediaries".


The expert noted that inOman, Iran's national currency was being converted intoUS dollars.
"This mediation had todo not only withcurrency conversion butalso withtransactions withvarious goods that Iran was importing", Azadegan concluded.



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