Iraq and Iran continue trading despite Trump’s sanctions

Trade continued to flow over the border between Iraq and Iran at the Beshmakh crossing in Iraq’s eastern Sulaymaniyah governate on Thursday, despite recently reintroduced US sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Authorities at the crossing claimed that the “borders of the Beshmakh crossing have been trading with the Islamic Republic of Iran since 2007. This international crossing was formally established and since then the trade movement has continued.”

The US reinstated all the sanctions it had previously lifted as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, on Monday.

The sanctions target Iran’s oil, banking and shipping industries and the Trump administration has also promised to institute harsh penalties for any other states that continue to conduct trade with the country.