Hossein Hatefi Ardakani | |
---|---|
Nationality | Iranian |
Occupation | Businessman |
Years active | 2014–present |
Organization | Allegedly connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) |
Known for | Alleged involvement in procuring military drone technology for the IRGC |
Criminal charge | Indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (2023) |
Criminal penalty | Indictment unsealed in December 2023 |
Hossein Hatefi Ardakani is an Iranian businessman. He has been accused of helping the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in acquiring military drone technology. [1] In January 2024, the United States offered up to a $15 million reward for information about Ardakani. He is alleged to have worked with an individual based in China to purchase parts using front companies that were eventually used in Iranian drones. [2] [3]
The Rewards for Justice program, managed by the U.S. Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information that could lead to the disruption of financial networks supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the U.S. government designates as a terrorist organization. According to U.S. officials, Iranian businessman Hossein Hatefi Ardakani is alleged to have played a significant role in procuring and transferring technology used in the IRGC’s weapons development activities.
Since 2014, Ardakani is accused of utilizing a complex network of intermediary companies to acquire sensitive components for Iran's military programs. U.S. government sources assert that these materials have been used in producing Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are developed on behalf of the IRGC. It is further alleged that some of these UAVs have been sold internationally, including to the Russian Armed Forces for use in the war in Ukraine, with proceeds benefiting the IRGC. [4]
Recovered wreckage of Shahed drones in Ukraine and other conflict areas reportedly contains U.S.-origin flight guidance components, which U.S. officials claim were acquired through Ardakani's network. Additionally, the U.S. government alleges that Ardakani has obtained export-controlled high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and other electronic components with ballistic missile applications, circumventing sanctions and export controls targeting Iran. [4]
Several Malaysia-based companies, such as Arta Wave Sdn Bhd, Integrated Scientific Microwave Technologies, and Tecknologi Merak Sdn Bhd, have been identified by U.S. authorities as front companies operating on Ardakani’s behalf. These firms, registered in Kuala Lumpur with links to Hong Kong, have reportedly, according to the US government, acquired restricted materials for Iran’s defense sector. Similarly, logistics firms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including Dubai-based Smart Mail Services and Ring Field FZE, are accused of facilitating the shipment of sensitive components to the IRGC by providing false shipping information. [4]
On December 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against the businessman, accusing him of illegally procuring dual-use microelectronics for the IRGC. On the same day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Ardakani and ten associated entities under Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which targets individuals and entities involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. As a result, U.S. persons and entities are prohibited from conducting transactions with Ardakani. [4]
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. Whereas the Iranian Army protects the country's sovereignty in a traditional capacity, the IRGC's constitutional mandate is to ensure the integrity of the Islamic Republic. Most interpretations of this mandate assert that it entrusts the IRGC with preventing foreign interference in Iran, thwarting coups by the traditional military, and crushing "deviant movements" that harm the ideological legacy of the Islamic Revolution. Currently, the IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United States.
The Qods Mohajer is an Iranian single-engine tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by the Qods Aviation Industry Company in four main variants from the 1980s to the present day. The Mohajer family is primarily used for reconnaissance, and is among the most mature and well-known Iranian UAVs.
Following the Iranian Revolution, the United States has since 1979 applied various economic, trade, scientific and military sanctions against Iran. United States economic sanctions are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury. As of 2017, United States sanctions against Iran include an embargo on dealings with the country by the United States, and a ban on selling aircraft and repair parts to Iranian aviation companies.
The Iranian Armed Forces, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Artesh), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah) and the Law Enforcement Command (Faraja).
The Imam Hossein Comprehensive University is a public university located in Tehran, Iran.
Syarikat Scomi Precision Engineering Sdn Bhd (SCOPE) was established under the Scomi group of companies controlled by Kamaluddin Abdullah, a businessman. He is the son of former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. On 4 February 2004, the New York Times carried a story claiming that SCOPE supplied nuclear components to Libya as part of a rogue network masterminded by Pakistani atomic weapons supremo Dr. A. Q. Khan. Scomi denied any wrongdoings. However, in 2009, the United States Department of State announced that sanctions would be imposed on Scomi Chief Executive Officer Shah Hakim Zain for his involvement in Dr. Khan's nuclear-proliferation network. Following the US government's sanctions on Shah Hakim, he fought to clear his name in that country and succeeded in 2011. The sanctions were lifted by the US State Department on Monday, 18 July, and the news was covered in Malaysian papers. Shah issued a statement as well, saying: "In reference to the lifting of the sanctions imposed, I am grateful to all who have helped, guided and supported Scomi Group and I for the past few years, in particular to the Government of Malaysia and all the agencies. I would like to express my gratitude to the State of Department, United States of America for their assistance and for the lifting of the sanctions."
On 5 December 2011, an American Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was captured by Iranian forces near the city of Kashmar in northeastern Iran. The Iranian government announced that the UAV was brought down by its cyberwarfare unit which commandeered the aircraft and safely landed it, after initial reports from Western news sources disputedly claimed that it had been "shot down". The United States government initially denied the claims but later President Obama acknowledged that the downed aircraft was a US drone. Iran filed a complaint to the UN over the airspace violation. Obama asked Iran to return the drone. Iran is said to have produced drones based on the captured RQ-170 including the Shahed 171 Simorgh and Shahed Saegheh. The UAV in question was diverted by Iran jamming from the ground in Iraq. By positioning jamming in front of known flight paths provided by Russian intel, the Iranians jammed the 170's GPS uplink which blinded its GPS nav and sent it into 'limp home' mode. Taking advantage of this, the Iranians then provided a hacked GPS signal. This sent the aircraft off course and over the Iranian border, to an airfield purposely built to mimic the airfield from which the drone had departed. As the runway altitude in Iran was about 20 feet higher than its home base, the airframe suffered damage upon landing.
The Shahed 129 is an Iranian single-engine medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed by Shahed Aviation Industries for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Shahed 129 is capable of combat and reconnaissance missions and has an endurance of 24 hours; it is similar in size, shape and role to the American MQ-1 Predator and is widely considered as one of the most capable drones in Iranian service.
The Qods Yasir, also known as the Sayed-2, is an Iranian light tactical surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufactured by Qods Aviation. It is ostensibly an unlicensed copy of an American Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drone captured and reverse-engineered by Iran, but has some design changes.
The Shahed Saegheh, also called the Shahed 191, is an Iranian turbofan/piston-powered flying wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) produced by Shahed Aviation Industries. It is based on, but smaller than and substantially different from, a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel UAV that was captured by Iran in 2011 and then reverse-engineered. It is one of two Iranian flying wing UAVs based on the RQ-170, along with the Shahed 171 Simorgh, a larger version.
The Sadid-1 is an Iranian TV-guided anti-tank missile derived from Iran's Toophan missiles.
Abdolreza Shahlaei is an Iranian military officer who serves as the commander of the Yemen division of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Mohajer-6 is an Iranian single-engine multirole ISTAR UAV capable of carrying a multispectral surveillance payload and/or up to four precision-guided munitions.
In the mid-1980s, Iran became interested in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Iranians have since began manufacturing (UAVs). As an attack munition rather than intelligence, surveillance, or reconnaissance (ISR) platform, the first generation Ababil appears to have been deployed during the Iran–Iraq War.
The HESA Shahed 136, also known by its Russian designation Geran-2, is an Iranian-designed loitering munition, also referred to as a kamikaze drone or suicide drone, in the form of an autonomous pusher-propelled drone. It is designed and manufactured by the Iranian state-owned corporation HESA in association with Shahed Aviation Industries.
Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center is an Iranian aerospace company known for designing military helicopters and UAVs. They are associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC-ASF) and the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation (HESA).
The Shahed 131, or Geran-1 in Russian service, is an Iranian-made exploding drone which came to prominence in October 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is powered by a Wankel engine model Shahed-783/788.
The Iranian company known as Mado specializes in aircraft propulsion systems.
Shahed drones are Iranian unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and loitering munitions developed by Shahed Aviation Industries.