
SAIRAN
Iran's state-owned military-electronics manufacturer controlled by MODAFL, operating procurement under the SAAFTA trading name and designated by OFAC on 29 May 2026.
Last refreshed: 30 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did the US Treasury target an Iranian electronics firm for impersonating American businesses?
Timeline for SAIRAN
Designated as target of the procurement ring; received counter-surveillance hardware from the scheme
Iran Conflict 2026: US hits Iran defence procurement ringWhat is SAIRAN and why was it sanctioned by the US?
What is SAAFTA in relation to Iran's military?
How did SAIRAN impersonate US businesses to buy restricted technology?
Background
SAIRAN came to international attention on 29 May 2026 when the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated it under Executive Order 13224 as part of the 'Economic Fury' action targeting an Iran defence procurement ring. The company had been impersonating US small businesses to defraud American IT vendors and supply itself with counter-surveillance hardware, including spectrum analysers and non-linear junction detectors. It traded externally under the name SAAFTA (SAIRAN Information Exchange Space Security Industries Company) and routed orders through two Dubai front companies: Green Light Computer Co LLC and Al Kawther Neon LLC.
SAIRAN is a state-owned enterprise controlled by MODAFL, Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, which owns and directs Iran's military-industrial base. The company focuses on electronic warfare, surveillance, and signals-intelligence hardware, areas that have faced sustained Western export controls. By impersonating legitimate US businesses and exploiting Italy-based intermediary Saeid Zahedi for US-linked domain registration and financial accounts, the procurement ring created federal wire-fraud exposure in addition to the sanctions breach. The FBI's Los Angeles field office co-ordinated the enforcement action alongside the Commerce Department.
The designation adds SAIRAN to the SDN list, freezing any US-connected assets and prohibiting Americans and US-linked firms from dealing with it. The action sits within a broader US campaign called 'Economic Fury', which has run a series of SDN designations against Iran's defence, oil, and financial networks since early 2026. SAIRAN's exposure of Iran's dual-track procurement approach, using both overt military channels and commercial cover identities, illustrates how sanctions pressure drives Iranian procurement underground rather than halting it.