In documents obtained from Iran’s regime parliament websites by the dissident group ‘Uprising Until Overthrow,’ a letter authored by Mohammad Mokhber, the First Vice-President of the regime and chairman of the ‘Anti-Sanction Headquarters,’ was disclosed. In this letter, Mokhber addressed the heads of the three branches, requesting an extension of a resolution aimed at countering oil sanctions. The discussion presented here focuses solely on a portion of this letter.
Within this letter, one of the highlighted issues is the ‘integration of approvals for covert activities.’ This matter holds significant importance for the regime, evidenced by the formation of a dedicated committee named the ‘Cover Committee,’ a subsidiary of the ‘Anti-Sanction Headquarters.’
Heading this committee is the Economic and Technological Deputy of the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council, with its members comprising representatives from various governmental bodies, including the Economic, Counterintelligence, and Foreign Intelligence Organizations of the Ministry of Intelligence, the Intelligence Organization, the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, the Judiciary, and other governing entities. The primary responsibility of the Cover Committee is to devise strategies to evade sanctions.
The term ‘circumventing sanctions’ entails the covert and deceptive utilization of diplomatic covers, fictitious institutions, and companies to facilitate the sale of Iran’s crude oil and gas condensates, as well as to facilitate the smuggling of various goods, including materials for producing weapons of mass destruction.
Several factions within the regime, predominantly led by the Quds Force, are involved in the illicit smuggling of oil and gas. This activity has been explicitly addressed in the resolution pertaining to the Cover Committee:
“The permissible limit for each cover broker for the export of crude oil and gas condensate is set at 400 million euros, while for other brokers, it stands at 200 million euros. Any transactions exceeding these limits must not only be approved by the Cover Committee but also by the head of the Anti-Sanction Headquarters.”
This resolution grants authorization to the regime’s Central Bank, other banks (both public and private), state-affiliated institutions, and companies to establish cover accounts, cover companies, cover financial and credit institutions, as well as cover banks and exchanges beyond the nation’s borders.
Furthermore, the resolution stipulates that state-owned companies, banks, and regime-affiliated institutions are permitted to employ Iranian nationals and individuals possessing professional and security qualifications to manage and hold shares in cover entities abroad, with the possibility of obtaining foreign dual citizenship for these individuals.
However, certain conditions are outlined for these trusted individuals, including the requirement that they do not reside in foreign countries and remain under intelligence protection for two years following the termination of their cooperation.
It is worth noting that Ebrahim Raisi, the regime’s president, openly acknowledged in 2023 that he had tasked specific ‘officers’ with circumventing the sanctions. He remarked, “If the enemy obstructs us in one location, we will proceed from another; that’s the essence of circumventing sanctions.”
The regime has explored various methods to evade sanctions, one of which involves the utilization of diplomatic covers. Mokhber recounted an incident during the final meeting of Iranian delegation heads in neighboring countries:
“We encountered difficulties in procuring equipment necessary for vaccine production during a financial transaction with a certain country, as it was flagged as related to vaccine equipment. Consequently, we were unable to acquire said equipment. However, our esteemed ambassador successfully transported the subsequent device to the country, disguised as household furniture.”
The inadvertent disclosure of this incident sparked controversy within the regime, with some factions alleging that it inadvertently aided the opposition.
One of the most significant measures adopted by the regime to bypass sanctions involves the establishment of cover companies. Within this realm, numerous clandestine activities have emerged as a result of accommodation with religious fascism.
Notably, Germany’s Channel One TV recently aired a report on the website of the Tages Show program, exposing the activities of a Revolutionary Guards cover entity affiliated with Ghadir Holding. Situated in an industrial area west of Düsseldorf, this company operates as an international business center near the A52 highway.
According to the International Trade Center’s website, the company boasts 30 years of experience in international trade and maintains business partnerships across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Official records indicate that between 2017 and 2021, the company accrued approximately 600 million euros in revenue.
