Iranian smugglers set up shop in coastal Oman 

[formercia]



 
 
Due to the ramping up of international sanctions, many Iranian merchants are leaving Dubai and setting up shop in Khasab, a small coastal town in Oman, where smuggling is rife.

 
According to our Observers, as well as other reports, both Omani and Iranian police appear to turn a blind eye to this practice. A photographer who recently travelled to the region told FRANCE 24 that the Omani authorities try to prevent this from making the news. He said that after taking photos of the smugglers, he was repeatedly interrogated, made to erase almost all his photos, and warned to stay away from Iranians working in Khasab.
 
Many Iranian businessmen have quit Dubai in the past couple of years because UAE authorities -- under pressure from the United States -- have made it increasingly difficult for them to work there. Many Iranian businessmen’s bank accounts have been frozen; they no longer enjoy banking facilities such as loans; and work permits are increasingly difficult to obtain. According to one veteran Iranian businessman FRANCE 24 spoke to, such measures have pushed Iranians who were previously working in the UAE legally to go to Oman, and smuggle their goods to Iran via Khasab: “They simply could no longer compete with non-Iranian merchants and were incurring loses. Doing business here in Dubai has now become almost impossible for Iranians.”
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“The locals are predominantly Salafists who would usually be anti-Shiite, but they tolerate these Shiite Iranian businessmen who bring in so much money”


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Contributors
Hamid Qeshm


http://observers.france24.com/content/20130711-oman-haven-iranian-smugglers-khasab

[leveymg]

1. My understanding is Persian smugglers have been using Oman as a base since Xerxes. Look at a map.

And, someone just discovered this?