Iran Denies Involvement in Drug Trafficking to Iraq

Moussa Alizadeh Tabatabai, Iran's deputy ambassador in Iraq, rejected allegations of the Islamic Republic's involvement in the entry of drugs into Iraq, calling it 'ridiculous.' In an interview published on Tuesday, December 5, by the ISNA news agency, he stated that this accusation is 'as absurd as claiming Iran supports terrorists and ISIS.' The Iranian deputy ambassador in Baghdad attributed the distribution of drugs in Iraq to U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies, claiming they are attempting to 'divert Muslim youth and hinder the progress of these societies.' It is unclear which report prompted the statements from the Iranian deputy ambassador in Iraq, but recently, Sky News Arabia reported on the involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in drug trafficking to Basra and accused Iran's regional allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Ansar Allah in Yemen, of participating in this trafficking. According to this network's report, crystal meth, hashish, and tramadol pills are the most trafficked drugs from Iran to Iraq. The IRGC has been accused multiple times of involvement in drug trafficking to Iraq. For instance, a few months ago, Ali al-Daini, the head of the Diyala provincial council in eastern Iraq, told Al-Sumaria News that 'we have information about drug trafficking from Iran to Iraq via drones.' In the past, several officials and political figures in the Islamic Republic have mentioned the IRGC and the police's management of ports as being involved in smuggling goods into Iran. Recently, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, implicitly referred to some government institutions in connection with money laundering, which led to protests from representatives of the Stability Front and some appointees of the Supreme Leader. Using ISNA news agency, Sky News Arabia, and Radio Farda.