Iran: December 19, 2001

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A US warship intercepted an Iranian tanker on suspicion of smuggling oil from Iraq. Two sailors on the tanker were slightly injured and Iran protested the incident. Iranian ships and crews have been caught participating in the smuggling operations. So far this year, over 1,100 ships have been stopped by the anti-smuggling patrols. Meanwhile, Iran says it will try and work out a plan with the new Afghanistan government to help Afghan farmers replace poppy growing with agricultural crops. Poppy crops are turned into opium and heroin and smuggled through Iran. But millions of Iranians are drug addicts because a lot of the drugs are sold in Iran as well.