Bypassing Iran’s sanctions by the largest commercial group affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran
According to Iran Gate, the largest commercial group serving the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for bypassing sanctions. This group, led by the children of Ali Shamkhani, the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, has established a network of dummy companies in various countries such as the United States, England, and some European countries to transport Iranian petrochemical and oil products.
Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, one of Ali Shamkhani’s sons and his senior advisor, is the most controversial member of the Shamkhani family. Many controversies and cases of economic corruption involving him have been published in the media. Mehdi Nassiri, the former editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper and a conservative journalist, accused Hossein of embezzling oil money in his statements attacking Ali Shamkhani, the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
There is also strong evidence of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani’s involvement in various cases, including the seized Admiral ship, which led to the dissolution of the Admiral company after the news of its seizure was published.
In February 2022, the Indian Coast Guard announced the seizure of a container ship named Kabul at the Candela port on the western coast of India. Shortly after the news broke, it was revealed that the ship was owned by a company called Admiral, which is owned by Mohammad Hossein Shemkhani.
The incident of seizing the ship owned by Admiral is significant as its disclosure exposed the role of the Shemkhani family in bypassing oil sanctions.
Another one of their companies, VENTURE, was registered in Panama and was shut down in 2018. This company, which was registered by Mohammad Hossein Shemkhani, Naji Shemkhani, and another Indian individual, was responsible for transporting Iranian goods and oil shipments. However, due to the sanctions imposed during the Trump administration and the inclusion of Naji Shemkhani’s name in the sanctions list, this company was also shut down.
Shemkhani Trading Group and most oil-related groups consider Panama as a safe haven due to its close ties with the official power of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They utilize the secure environment of Panama for activities such as registering maritime transport companies and conducting financial transactions for the sale of oil and petrochemical products of the Islamic Republic. They also use flags of countries like Liberia, Panama, or the Marshall Islands for their ships in order to bypass US sanctions.
After the identities of the founders of this company were revealed, Mohammad Hossein Shemkhani changed his identity and obtained a passport from the Dominican Republic under a different name. They continue their business activities, which serve the underground economy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
However, most maritime transport companies are managed by the children of the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and are entrusted to Indian and Pakistani individuals to prevent the identification of these companies.
One of the individuals who is involved in the Islamic Republic’s commercial network is Hossein Ghorbani Zahed. He recently registered a company called GOLDEN NEST GROUP LTD in the United Kingdom with the nationality of the Dominican Republic. Most of the traders who are serving to bypass the sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran obtain the nationality of other countries under different names in order to easily carry out their unhealthy economic activities in a covert manner.
Another individual associated with this group who has been identified and sanctioned is Salim Ahmad Saeed, an Iraqi-British merchant. The Wall Street Journal claims that according to informed sources, US authorities believe that the man behind the oil blending operations, Salim Ahmad Saeed, is an Iraqi-born British citizen and several companies share their email addresses and companies with his companies, including Al-Iraqiya Shipping Services and AISSOT, a well-known oil trading company.
Mr. Saeed denies ownership of AISSOT or any violation of US sanctions against Iran in emails to The Wall Street Journal, rejecting any connection between his owned or controlled companies and the violation of sanctions.
من مالک شرکت نفت آیکن و کشتیرانی راین هستم. من صاحب آیسوت نیستم. شرکتهای من به هیچ وجه نفت ایران را با نقض تحریمهای آمریکا ارسال نکردهاند و تمامی مبادلات من با عراق کاملاً قانونی بوده است.This group, led by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani and Abolfazl Shamkhani, the children of the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, remains like a spider’s web. They have registered extensive shell companies in various countries such as America, Germany, England, and Europe to bypass the sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Countries such as America, Germany, England, and some European countries have imposed sanctions to prevent the sale of oil and financial transactions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But how can individuals in these countries register companies to neutralize these sanctions and engage in trade and money laundering for the Islamic Republic of Iran?
One of the issues being raised is that although Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, is on the list of US sanctions, his children, who lead the largest mafia business group serving the Islamic Republic of Iran in bypassing sanctions, have never been included on the sanctions list.
This dual standard strengthens the likelihood of a hidden agreement between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran to prevent sanctions on these individuals. The US sanctions in recent years have caused severe economic pressure on the people of Iran, but the economic mafia groups of the Islamic Republic of Iran have benefited greatly from these sanctions and have become more powerful every day.
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