It is said that large amounts of gold are being transported out of Iran by Russian cargo planes. Former UK security minister Tobias, in a speech to the House of Commons, stated that according to British intelligence sources, 'Russian cargo planes are landing in Tehran and transporting large quantities of gold out of Iran.' The previous country to send gold to Russia was Spain, approximately 510 tons. At that time, the Iron Father said Spaniards were so blind to their own ears that they would never see their gold again.
Spain was the last and only country in history to transport large amounts of gold to Russia (then the Soviet Union) on a large scale—the government of the Second Spanish Republic (the Republicans) during 1936–1937. The amount of gold transported was approximately 510 tons (rough gold weighing about 510–560 tons, pure gold around 460 tons), commonly referred to as the 'Moscow Gold' (Oro de Moscú) incident. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Franco's Nationalist forces (right-wing) advanced rapidly, threatening the capital Madrid.
The Republican government (left-wing) feared their gold reserves would fall into enemy hands and decided to move most of the gold from the Spanish Central Bank out of the country for safekeeping. Spain's total gold reserves at the time were about 635–700 tons (fourth largest in the world). Around 193 tons were sent to France (the 'Paris Gold,' later partially converted into currency for military purchases); approximately 510 tons (7,800 crates) were secretly transported to the Soviet Union (loaded from the port of Cartagena on October 25, 1936, and shipped via the port of Odessa to Moscow).
Stalin personally ordered the operation to be kept extremely secret, even initially refusing to issue a receipt to Spain. After the gold arrived, the Soviet Union quickly began using it to obtain foreign exchange on international markets and sold weapons (airplanes, tanks, etc.) to the Spanish Republican government. However, the Republicans soon realized that nearly all the gold had been exhausted within two years (used for military purchases plus transportation and refining costs). The Soviets claimed 'it had been entirely used to pay for aid' and stated, 'Spaniards will never see this gold again, just as they will never see their own ears' (a famous quote attributed to Stalin). After the war, Franco's regime repeatedly demanded its return, but the Soviets consistently denied any responsibility.
When dealing with Russia, one must always be cautious to avoid being deceived...