United Arab Emirates, a hub for the smuggling to Iran

Many cases of violations of sanctions on Iran have been identified, which underpins the thesis that arms embargoes are not perfect instruments to counter the proliferation of weapons. There is evidence that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are a hub for the smuggling of weapons and other military equipment to Iran. Proliferation networks use different bypass techniques that make the detection of illegal shipments more and more difficult. This trade represents a danger to both the Gulf region and the entire world. This note aims at providing an overview of the mechanisms of diversion of sanctions against Iran in the UAE and the country’s efforts to fight against it. 

Crédit photo : Port de Jebel Ali (Source : idmifarra - Licence Creative Commons flickr)