Iraq has been helping Iran skirt economic sanctions put in place because of its nuclear program, using a “network of financial institutions and oil-smuggling operations” to keep money flowing, according to a report in the New York Times.

In some cases, Iraqi officials turn a blind eye to trade with Iran, while some in the government — including those close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — actually profited from it, the Times reported. In one instance, Iraq permitted the Iranians to use Iraqi airspace to get supplies to Syria. After President Barack Obama called al-Maliki to complain, the Iranians flew a different route.

“Maliki’s government is right in the middle of this,” one former senior American intelligence official told the Times.

Obama acknowledged the problem last month when he announced he was “cutting off” Baghdad’s Elaf Islamic Bank from any business within the U.S. banking system, saying it had “facilitated transactions worth millions of dollars on behalf of Iranian banks that are subject to sanctions for their links to Iran’s illicit proliferation activities.”

And yet Iraqi banking experts told the Times the bank has still been allowed to participate in the Iraq Central Bank’s daily auction to sell Iraqi currency and buy American dollars — a key way for Iran to boost its reserve of dollars to pay for imports.

Officials said Iranian organizations “have gained effective control” over at least four Iraqi commercial banks, according to the Times, giving Tehran direct access to the international finance system — something supposedly blocked by sanctions. Only last week, Iraq’s deputy prime minister and top finance and trade ministry officials met with their Iranian counterparts in Tehran to discuss furthering their economic ties.

Why am I not surprised......

“Britain has no permanent friends and no permanent enemies; she has permanent interests.”-Lord Palmerton

That applies to every other nation as well.

Sanctions never have, and never will result in any meaningful policy change in Iran.  It's laughable that the West goes on like this *hoping* the mullahs in the Iranian government will give a damn.

no shit, tilting at windmills.

if anything we're helping rally the general populous around their government against the common enemy.

totally counterproductive, but hey, we look tough.

Iran has gotten a lot of thier people into high ranking positions in Iraq, as well as bought the people they couldnt replace.

Saw a bunch of SOC higher-ups getting escorted around by guys that just screamed IRGC more than a few times

This.

It's amazing how many people try to look at international relations through the lens of kindergarten morality.

"Oh! That's not FAIR! Country A shouldn't be 'allowed' to do that to country B!"

Dead is dead. It doesn't matter whether you were destroyed "justly" or not.

The Blaze = no clicky.

Chuckle......

If you have ever had business dealings with people from that part of the world you would understand. The "If you aint cheatin, you aint trying" mentality is a cornerstone of how they roll.

Yet we are constantly shocked that they do it.

Is this supposed to be a surprise?