UNITED NATIONS, May 22 (Reuters) - Metals swap deals with Iran by Switzerland-based commodities giants Glencore Xstrata and Trafigura could have been a way of skirting international sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program, according to a confidential U.N. Panel of Experts report seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Reuters reported on March 1 that Glencore had supplied thousands of tons of alumina to an Iranian firm that has provided aluminum to Iran's nuclear program, an allegation Glencore confirmed as accurate. Afterward, Trafigura acknowledged it had also traded with the same Iranian firm.
Swiss authorities said at the time that they saw no evidence of U.N. or Swiss sanctions violations by Glencore, but the U.N. experts, who monitor compliance with the Iran sanctions regime, raised the possibility that the swap deals were a means of flouting restrictions on trade with Iran.
"If confirmed, such transactions may reflect an avenue for procurement of a raw material in a manner that circumvents sanctions," said the 49-page report in reference to the media reports on the swap deals. "The companies involved have stated that they have halted those transactions."
Reuters has sought comment from both companies. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Stacey Joyce)
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