Iran Buying More From US In Spite Of Tensions

The value of U.S. exports to Iran rose exponentially under Bush, even as he called the country part of an "axis of evil." In 2001, Bush's first year in office, they totaled just $8.3 million, a tiny fraction of last year's number.

Exports during the Bush years included a range of agricultural products and medical supplies, but some more surprising items also made it to Iran: brassieres, fur clothing, sculptures, perfume, musical instruments and military apparel.

This year, besides medical and dental supplies and agricultural products such as grain and bull semen, U.S. exports to Iran included about $154,000 worth of dead horses, pigs and related products, possibly for bone meal; $87,000 worth of household and toilet articles; about $25,000 in instant print film; $8,790 in newspapers; and about $2,800 in books. The sanctions exempt certain cultural items.

The publicly available government trade data doesn't identify exporters or say exactly what they shipped. The AP requested that information under the Freedom of Information Act in 2005 and still is waiting for the Treasury Department to provide it.

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