Russia And Iran Reportedly Signed A Huge Oil Deal — But No One Knows The Details

…

Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Washington, DC-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on the Iran sanctions regime, told Business Insider that he was also unsure of the reports' validity, and raised the possibility that news of the deal could be part of an attempt to deceive U.S. leaders.

“It's weird. [Russia] announced, then withdrew announcement, and then announced again but with no details,” Dubowitz said by email. “It may be an ongoing dispute over business terms or the Iranians and Russians are toying with the Americans.”

…

Russia would certainly qualify, especially during a period of increasing intransigence from Moscow and conflict with the U.S. and E.U. states. And as Dubowitz told The New York Times in January: “If you’re Putin and you think you’re going to be a target of sanctions, the most obvious leverage is in the Iranian file, where Russian cooperation is so important.”

…