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Lack of transparency undermines Iran's sanctions relief

12 March 2015 17:29 (UTC+04:00)
Lack of transparency undermines Iran's sanctions relief

Iran says Western sanctions have to be removed entirely and a comprehensive nuclear deal made according to a resolution in line with Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.

On the other hand, Iranian media reported March 11 that President Hassan Rouhani ordered the Campaign against Goods and Currency Smuggling Staff to take necessary measures against “illegal entries and docks” and prevent “unauthorized organizations” to interfere with imports.

Iran suffers an annual goods smuggling of $25 billion which is tantamount to one fourth of the country’s entire legal non-oil foreign trade. The country’s entire legal import stands at $50 billion a year.

There have been reports about tens of docks owned by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that would operate outside the supervision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.

Removing the entire sanctions is a difficult job and will take at least one year after the West has made a final decision to remove them, Mehrdad Emadi, economic consultant in Europe told Trend on March 11.

“But besides Iran’s nuclear program, the country’s non-transparent foreign trade has also caused worries for Western countries.”

Transparency International’s annual report says that in terms of state corruption, Iran stands 136 among the 175 countries under investigation.

Emadi said that the main source of concern for the West over Iran’s financial issues is the trade activities of the country’s military organizations.

In case the government manages to oversee these activities, 90 percent of the Western sanctions on Iran are immediately revocable.

He further stated that a resolution based on Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter will practically prevent future Western parliaments and governments to violate Western powers’ deal with Tehran.

Last week Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that the nuclear deal between Iran and the group 5+1 (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany) is going to be reinforced by a UN Security Council resolution in order for it to be obligatory for all countries.

Iran and the six major powers are trying to reach a political understanding on Tehran’s nuclear program by the end of Mach; and reach a comprehensive agreement by July 1.

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