Word: illicitness
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...toughening up the U.N. sanctions regime against Iran. But winning the cooperation of Dubai might be equally important in the effort to squeeze Tehran. The Emirate may have no vote on the Security Council, but Iran's tiny neighbor is widely regarded as the easiest route for smuggling illicit goods into the Islamic Republic...
...officials say, the heavy volume of legitimate trade moving from Dubai to Iran - trade between the two countries was worth $12 billion last year, most of it imports into Iran - makes it easier to camouflage illicit items. About 400,000 Iranians live in Dubai, and about 8,000 Iranian companies are registered there, including two major banks, Bank Melli Iran and Bank Saderat Iran, both of which are currently under U.S. sanctions on the allegation that they're funding Iran's nuclear program...
...prosecutors portray Portillo, 58, as a man ready to exploit his presidency for illicit gain from the moment he took office. Preet Bharara, a U.S. attorney in Manhattan, says Portillo turned "the Guatemalan presidency into his personal ATM." Guatemalan media, quoting Guatemalan government sources, have reported that Portillo's alleged take was approximately $70 million. Aside from the Taiwanese funds, he's also accused of embezzling about $4 million from Guatemala's Defense Ministry. He allegedly laundered the money through accounts in Guatemala and through U.S. and European banks. It was a financial shell game that involved overdrafts so massive...
Police and Basij erected roadblocks and conducted car searches in much of the capital over the weekend. Last week, Tehran Governor Morteza Tamadon announced that 500 individuals involved in the illicit trade of fireworks had been arrested. "Tradition showcases the beauties of a culture," said Tamadon, adding that "the fire ritual offers nothing but ugliness, fear and worry ... With decisive action, we will try to wipe the problem called Chaharshanbe Suri from the mind of society within the next two years." That is unlikely to happen...
...Iran's own extensive intelligence networks, proved difficult. "There are a lot of ungoverned spaces along this border," says Kamran Bokhari, regional director for the Middle East and South Asia at Stratfor, a global intelligence firm based in Austin, Texas. Like other groups in the region, Jundallah exploited illicit smuggling routes between Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, possibly trading in arms and narcotics. Though there's little clear evidence, analysts suspect Jundallah received support and succor from a web of shadowy sources, including perhaps Saudi, Pakistani, Israeli and even U.S. intelligence agents. "The one consensus among experts on this matter...