Iran uses 5,000 secret agencies to bypass sanctions and import $2.3bn in military gear

Iran has maintained a multi-billion dollar military supply chain through a secret network of more than 5,000 agencies, importing critical missile components and explosives despite Western sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade, a Reuters investigation revealed on Friday, 30 October. Scale of the procurement network Shipping records and corporate filings examined by Reuters show that one agency alone, identified as MOD 346428, imported $2.3 billion worth of military-related goods between January 2025 and June 2026. The shipments included rocket fuel ingredients, aircraft engine parts, precision machinery, and 435 heavy-duty trucks. The investigation identified thousands of entities sharing the Tehran address of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, many established in 2013 during a period of intense international pressure. The investigation, conducted with Israeli-American risk consultancy 240 Analytics, found that 97 per cent of the reviewed transactions were settled without currency transfers. This allowed Iran to use oil sale proceeds held outside its borders to pay for equipment, effectively bypassing the global banking system. While many materials have dual civilian-military applications, the records show high volumes of titanium from China and Russian detonators arriving as recently as June 2026. Strategic control of Hormuz The disclosure follows statements from Iranian Vice President Mohammadreza Aref on Friday, 30 October, who claimed Tehran’s defensive…