![\"iran](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/iran-oil-rig-ocean.jpg\" "\\"iran")
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On October 3, quoting \u201cinformed sources\u201d, Iranian state media reported the abduction of an oil rig in Khuzestan province, located in the southern part of Iran.<\/p>\n
Fars News Agency<\/a>, funded and run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, confirmed the theft of the oil rig in this oil-rich province. Eyewitnesses reported that trailers with Tehran license plates were involved in the incident, captivating the rig<\/a> and leaving the province toward an unknown location.<\/p>\n The news agency, citing a reliable source, clarified that the stolen rig is not owned by the oil-rich southern regions or the National Drilling Company; rather, it belongs to a private company associated with Babak Zanjani, a regime-linked businessman who is currently in prison.<\/p>\n This marks at least the second reported instance of an oil rig theft in Iran. Previously, a similar incident had made headlines during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.<\/p>\n In July 2015, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, who served as the regime’s Minister of Petroleum during Hassan Rouhani’s administration, confirmed the theft of an Iranian oil rig during the tenure of Ahmadinejad. He mentioned that a formal complaint was filed with the Ministry of Petroleum regarding this incident.<\/p>\n The semi-official ISNA news agency wrote<\/a> on May 21, 2018, \u201cThere are various accounts of the oil rig disappearance. Since the case relates to Ahmadinejad’s government, efforts to recover the funds have taken a back seat. The accused and those in the loop have been pointing fingers at each other. In this quagmire, where hope for retrieval seems slim, $87 million meant for purchasing the oil rig is lost. This is because a key suspect, believed to be the broker of this deal and supposedly in possession of all the money, is outside Iran, making it impossible to trace his financial accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n According to reports from state media, the new rig was stolen along the Ahvaz road, approximately 70 kilometers away.<\/p>\n #Iran<\/a>\u2019s $1.5 Trillion Swindle: Plundering Prosperityhttps:\/\/t.co\/SZHga0Ni4M<\/a><\/p>\n — NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 7, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n