Watan-The Russian ambassador in Baghdad, Alboros Kotrashyov, detonated a bombshell by discussing the smuggling of dollars from Iraq to Iran.
Alboros Kotrashyov said in a televised interview that the smuggling of dollars from Iraq to Iran took place, denying what had been rumored about its smuggling to Russia.
The Russian ambassador added that it is unlikely and basically impossible for dollars to be smuggled from Iraq to Russia.
Iran smuggling Iraqi dollars
Previous reports revealed that Iran and its supporting groups smuggled millions of foreign currency dollars from Iraq to Tehran by establishing dummy companies, purchasing electronic cards, and using luggage and exchange offices.
The “Iran International” website stated that the Central Bank of Iraq was aware of these transactions.
The Iraqi Finance Ministry previously announced the smuggling of dollars to Iran via Argentina.
Mohammed Nouri Aziz, a member of the Iraqi parliamentary financial committee, said that millions of Iraqi dinars were printed in Argentina, then converted into US dollars and sent to Iran via trucks.
He added that the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister was aware of trucks loaded with dollars being sent from Iraq’s borders to Iran.
🔴 قنبلة من العيار الثقيل يفجرها السفير الروسي في بغداد #كوتراشيف ويكشف عن تهريب الدولار الأمريكي من #العراق إلى #ايران.
يا ترى مت هو موقف حكومة @mohamedshia من مثل هذا التصريح وخاصة من سفير دولة عظمى مثل روسيا!!! pic.twitter.com/wyKguKoJU5
— Robert Melham (@RealRobertRM) February 21, 2024
Smuggling with government knowledge
The Iraqi official revealed the sending of dollars to Iran without delay after arriving in Iraq by plane and through the central bank, with the knowledge of the government.
In a related context, Suran Omar, a member of the Iraqi parliament, confirmed the registration of at least five thousand dummy companies, as the latest document revealed, to smuggle dollars from Iraq to Iran, with the proliferation of currency smuggling.
The volume of dollar smuggling in a short period through travel and online shopping cards was greater than other methods.
Electronic cards under different names
An informed source in the Iraqi government said that some individuals had created hundreds of electronic cards under different names or through the documents of natural persons with a small amount.
Subsequently, using each of these cards, an amount ranging between 20,000 and 30,000 dollars was purchased in Iraqi banks at the government price, then the funds were withdrawn from the card in another country and transferred to Iran.
This knowledgeable source stated, “Some individuals alone managed to smuggle more than a million dollars.”
Reports indicated the transfer of 165 million dollars to Iran in less than a month through a single exchange operation, revealing similar actions to dozens of other exchanges.