World | Iran US Gave $107B to Firms Dodging Iran Sanctions NYT investigation finds 49 firms still doing business in Tehran By Polly Davis Doig Posted Mar 7, 2010 7:13 AM CST Copied Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaks with media during his press conference at the presidency in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Want to thumb your nose at US sanctions, and sink some money in Iran? That's OK, the US government doesn't mind—to the tune of some $107 billion it's given in federal contracts and grants to corporations doing business with Tehran. As the New York Times reports, a large portion of that went to Iran's energy sector—a huge financial boon to both Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Both the Obama and Bush administrations have spotty records, and it's difficult to exert control over foreign companies or foreign subsidiaries of US companies. Recent political tensions have led various companies to pull out of Iran, but according to the Times, 49 of 74 firms that have dealt both with Tehran and Washington have no stated intention of leaving the former. Read These Next Trump, Johnson aren't happy with pick for Super Bowl headliner. Feds cite ChatGPT evidence in arrest of Palisades Fire suspect. Felix Baumgartner's death attributed to his own error. The Treasury isn't backing down from its Trump coin plan. Report an error