Iran intel minister stays silent on Gaza deal, says Tehran thwarted Israel

The investigation, led by research firm Kharon and backed by a US civil forfeiture case, reveals how the network used intermediaries across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas to conceal its Iranian military end-users.

“With its use of layered intermediaries, third-country brokers and seemingly legitimate front companies in Western Europe, the helicopter-parts network demonstrates the growing sophistication of the illicit supply chains that support sanctioned military programs,” Kharon said.

The US Treasury’s October 1 sanctions followed the UN’s snapback on Iranian restrictions and targeted the Iran-based Pasargad Parvaz Kish Helicopter Company (PHC) and its Germany-based chief executive, Mehdi Shirazi Shayesteh. Treasury said PHC procured aircraft and spare parts for Iran’s state helicopter maker, PANHA, using a “transnational procurement network.”

Corporate filings show that PHC’s ownership ties extend into the investment arm of the sanctioned Pasargad Bank, embedding it within Iran’s restricted financial system.

According to a civil forfeiture complaint reviewed by Kharon, Shayesteh and his Iran-based partner, Amirhossein Salimi—the head of Uruguay’s Perfect Day SA—set up a joint venture in Portugal in 2021 called Business United Unipessoal LDA. Their first deal was the acquisition of a US-origin helicopter, which was routed through the network and eventually sold to PHC.

A US link in the chain

Among the entities linked to the operation was Cobra International, a Union City, New Jersey–based supplier that advertises itself as serving “civilian and military markets.” Between 2021 and 2023, Business United carried out several transactions with Cobra, including a $209,000 purchase of a used helicopter engine that US authorities later seized.

Kharon’s review found Cobra’s business connections also reached companies tied to Russia’s defense sector.

Court filings identified Dubai-based Indian broker Krishnamurthy Shekar as a key facilitator who sought helicopter engines from Cobra in 2023 on behalf of Business United. He maintains professional links to several aviation suppliers in the UAE and India.

In Europe, Swedish national Ramtin Emami directed two companies—Nordic Air and Heli Invest AB—that received US-origin parts from Cobra and re-exported them to Iran. Business United requested that the shipments be routed through Sweden before their final delivery to PHC, according to Kharon’s findings.

The case underscores the growing complexity of Iran’s defense procurement networks, which rely on Western intermediaries, layered brokers and front companies to mask their military objectives.

The Commerce Department included two subsidiaries of US-based chip distributor Arrow Electronics Inc. on its so-called entity list for allegedly facilitating purchases of American technology by Iran-linked groups. It is unusual for units of a US-listed company to appear on the blacklist.

Arrow spokesperson John Hourigan said the subsidiaries in China and Hong Kong “have been operating in full compliance with US export control regulations” and the company was discussing the matter with the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

In all, BIS added 26 entities and three addresses to the list of firms that US vendors cannot sell to without government approval. US suppliers should presume requests will be denied on national security grounds, the agency said.

Some of the new listings stemmed from wreckage of drones recovered by Persian Gulf states and Israel, which investigators found contained US-origin components routed through the sanctioned firms. BIS said parts recovered from Hamas drones used in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel also traced back to some of the companies.

Part of wider campaign

The action is the latest in a series of measures aimed at constraining Iran’s weapons programs and its use of front companies abroad. Earlier this month, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 38 people and entities from Iran and China accused of advancing Tehran’s procurement of surface-to-air missiles and US-made helicopter parts. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would “deny the regime weapons it would use to further its malign objectives.”

Those sanctions were also tied to the reimposition of United Nations measures on Iran under the “snapback” mechanism triggered by Britain, France and Germany in late September. The restored restrictions cover Iran’s nuclear, missile and arms programs, along with embargoes, travel bans and asset freezes.

Targeting financial networks

The US has also sought to cut off the flow of money to Iran’s armed forces and aligned groups. In September, the Treasury sanctioned four Iranian nationals and more than a dozen companies in the UAE and Hong Kong accused of moving hundreds of millions of dollars through oil sales and cryptocurrency transactions. Officials said the networks helped finance ballistic missile and drone programs, as well as groups such as Hezbollah.

The same week, the State Department revoked a sanctions waiver for Iran’s Chabahar Port that had been in place since 2018 to support reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, warning that firms operating there could face penalties.

“Groups in the resistance front are today stronger and more active than two years ago against America and Israel,” Behnam Saeedi, secretary of parliament’s national security commission, told Didban Iran, referring to militias backed by Tehran in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza.

Saeedi dismissed US President Donald Trump’s peace initiative as unreliable. “Any plan that takes sovereignty away from the Palestinian people is doomed to fail,” he said.

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire after two years of war in Gaza, with terms set out in a 20-point US proposal presented by Trump and backed by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. The plan would see the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, the freeing of Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of the enclave, and the entry of aid.

Israel’s government is meeting later Thursday to vote on the deal, which is widely expected to pass. If approved, a truce will go into immediate effect and the release of hostages is due to begin within days. Families of hostages in Israel and residents in Gaza have already staged celebrations at the news.

While regional leaders from Egypt to Qatar hailed the breakthrough, Iranian state officials and media have so far shown little reaction to the Gaza agreement.

Iran’s only public comment came from government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, who said Tuesday Tehran would support any lasting peace that benefits Palestinians. Trump said Iran had sent “a very strong signal” it wanted to see progress toward an agreement.

“The Secretary-General said the file of overthrowing the establishment was closed after the 12-day war,” Aref said, according to state media. He did not say when or where the meeting with António Guterres took place.

Aref’s comments appeared to refer to a meeting he held with Guterres in Turkmenistan in August.

When asked about Aref’s account on Thursday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said he could not confirm that the Secretary-General had ever made such remarks. “I’m not able to confirm that the Secretary-General would ever have said that,” Dujarric told reporters. He referred journalists to the official readout issued on 5 August as an accurate description of what was said during the meeting.

During the 12-day war in June, Guterres wrote on X that he was “gravely alarmed” by the use of force by the United States against Iran, calling it a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to international peace and security. The conflict began with Israeli strikes that killed Iranian nuclear scientists along with hundreds of military personnel and civilians, and ended with US bombings of three key nuclear sites.

Aref’s remarks came days after US President Donald Trump warned Washington would bomb Iran again if it restarted its nuclear program. Speaking on Sunday at a ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of the US Navy in Virginia, Trump praised the June 22 airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites as “perfectly executed” and said Tehran had been within a month of producing a nuclear weapon.

“You want to do that, it’s fine, but we’re going to take care of that and we’re not going to wait so long,” Trump said. The operation, codenamed Midnight Hammer, hit facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan after an Israeli air campaign that began on June 13.

Iran says it does not seek confrontation but will respond if attacked. Aref said the 12-day conflict showed US forces could not achieve their objectives. “If they attack, they will be forced to beg for a ceasefire,” he said.

The comments follow the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran under the snapback mechanism after Britain, France and Germany moved to reimpose measures lifted by the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump, whose administration is pressing Tehran to halt uranium enrichment and curb its missile program, warned Washington would strike again if Iran resumes nuclear activity. “You want to do that, it’s fine, but we’re going to take care of that and we’re not going to wait so long,” he said on Sunday.

The meeting followed Eslami’s trip to Moscow last week, where Iran and Russia signed agreements on small reactors and a $25 billion project for four large nuclear power units in Hormozgan province.

The talks also covered small modular reactors and 1,250 megawatt power units, the report said.

The two sides reviewed current projects and stressed the need to speed up joint work, Iranian officials said. They also agreed Rosatom Director Alexey Likhachev would visit Iran soon to inspect progress on units two and three of the Bushehr nuclear plant.

The discussions came as a new strategic partnership treaty between Iran and Russia entered into force after approval by Russia’s lower house of parliament. The agreement covers wide cooperation in areas including nuclear energy.

The nuclear meetings followed reports this week that Iran has a €6 billion agreement with Russia for 48 Su-35 fighter jets, with deliveries expected between 2026 and 2028. Iranian lawmakers have said Moscow has already sent MiG-29 aircraft and that more advanced systems such as Su-35s and S-400 air defenses will follow.