According to authorities, Iraq has been actively combating the large oil smuggling activities carried out by networks with ties to the Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), which have strengthened Iran’s regional militias and made the fuel issue in Iraq worse.
They said that despite Iraqi motorists lining up in lengthy lines outside petrol stations, Iranian IRGC networks have been smuggling massive amounts of oil products by land to Syria and Lebanon to aid Tehran’s allies in overcoming gasoline shortages.
Due to the shortages, a lot of petrol stations in Iraq had to close.
In a meeting with security personnel on June 5, the deputy speaker of the house Hakim al-Zamili brought up the issue, and all participants urged the government to take more action to thwart smuggling and those who organize it.
He noted that the earnings from these illegal trades are padding the wallets of mafia-like organizations and that oil smuggled out of Iraq amounts to “half of the country’s overall oil exports.”
Alaa al-Nashou, a strategic analyst, claims that Iran’s agents are responsible for the theft and smuggling of crude oil and oil-related goods.
“These proxies utilize their power to steal oil and put it onto tankers that travel via border crossings to the positions of Iranian forces in western Syria.” He claimed
He said that some illicit shipments even travel to Lebanon to provide gasoline to Hezbollah.
According to Al-Nashou, Iranian IRGC-backed militias in Iraq are sapping the nation’s oil revenue to sustain Tehran’s allies and proxies in the area.
“The militias supported by Iran rely heavily on this illicit business to get money because they make enormous sums of money by smuggling oil and selling it to underworld buyers.” He claimed.
He said that to protect the country’s riches and put an end to the fuel crisis, the administration continues to actively confront the networks and militias engaged in oil smuggling.