WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite heavy sanctions, American exporters are finding business in Iran is booming. Exports to Iran are up tenfold since President Bush took office, even as Bush accused Iran of helping terrorists and working in secret to acquire a nuclear bomb.
If you look at state exports to Iran during President Bush's years in office, ranked by the dollar value of their total exports from 2001 through 2007: North Carolina ranks third with $69 million dollars worth of exports, with the top being medical supplies. South Carolina ranks 13th, with $5 million. The top export is chemical wood pulp/soda/sulphate.
Iran's favorite American product appears to be cigarettes. As much as 158 million dollars worth of cigarettes have been exported since 2001. Vaccines, serums and blood products were next on the list. Other exports seem a little unusual: brassieres, bull semen, cosmetics, fur clothing, sculptures, perfume, musical instruments and possibly even weapons.
Sanction rules allow the sale of agricultural commodities, medicine and a few other categories of goods. But the U.S. also may have shipped Iran equipment needed to launch jets from aircraft carriers, even though it's believed Iran doesn't have any carriers.
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