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Following are excerpts from a report on the smuggling of oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to Iran, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on July 11, 2010:
Anchor: Al-Arabiya TV shot footage of oil products that are being transported into Iran through one of the border crossings in the Kurdistan province. The footage was shot at the Hajj ‘Umran crossing. Ahmed Al-Saleh has the details.
Ahmed Al-Saleh, reporter: Away from the cities and from the clamor of Iraqi politics, with which the Americans are preoccupied, at the Hajj ‘Umran border crossing, thousands of trucks loaded with Iraqi oil gather en route to Iran, or rather, loaded with various types of Iraqi oil, which, experts believe, is collected in Iran, and refined into many types of petroleum products, especially fuel.
Tanker driver: There are contracts between the companies. We just do the transportation. That’s it. We transport from Zakhu to the Iranian province of Azerbaijan.
Reporter: Some people claim that the oil trucks set out in accordance with contracts signed by companies, which have agreements with the Iraqi oil ministry. These companies are accused of being a front for some influential political forces in Iraq and the region.
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There are similar truck conveys at the Bashmakh and Piroz Khan crossings.
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