[buwaya]

These were not gifts of oil, but purchase contracts to supposed middlemen. These would take a cut, not the entire value of the contract. Actually, many of the Russian entries look like they may be legitimate, as some of those are actual Russian oil companies or the Russian state. The Iraqis had to sell the oil to somebody.

[William McKinley]

The Iraqis had to sell the oil to somebody.

Only through the UN Oil for Food program. Anything outside of that was illegal internationally (and would be yet another justification for the war).