Russia and Iran have launched an oil-for-goods exchange program seeking to eliminate bilateral payments in U.S. dollars and plan to keep it going for five years, RT reports citing Energy Minister Alexander Novak, who added that the first Iranian cargo of crude oil had been received by Russia. The idea about ditching the greenback from bilateral trade was first pitched in 2014 when Iran was still under Western sanctions. Even after the notorious deal was reached, the two countries decided to go ahead with it, and the preliminary agreement was reached last year. According to it, Russia will receive 100,000 bpd of Iranian crude in exchange for US$45 billion worth of Russian goods. Iran has been actively looking for ways to drop the dollar as an international trade currency because of the U.S. sanctions that still remain, and because of the fear that more may be on the horizon. […]