Iran Air, the country’s flagship airline, for years offered travelers and traders access to key European destinations like London and Paris, even as its aging fleet and safety concerns—exacerbated by decades of Western sanctions—raised regulatory scrutiny.
When the EU and U.K. sanctioned Iran Air last fall, they effectively cut off its flights from Europe. But that hasn’t cut off its network.
According to a Kharon investigation, a complex web of Iran Air’s general sales agents (GSAs) and affiliated companies is continuing to facilitate Iranian import-export operations in Western Europe.
The network is anchored by Adineh Travel, a GSA that acts as Iran Air’s representative to handle its bookings, coordinate cargo and passenger logistics, and manage revenue. While GSAs for other Iranian airlines, notably Mahan Air, have faced sanctions in the past, the network of European-based GSAs tied to Adineh Travel has so far not been sanctioned.
Kharon’s investigation focuses on an Iranian businessman who owns or controls much of the Adineh Travel network with his Italian wife.
Backstory: The U.S. sanctioned Iran Air in September for facilitating illicit activities for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. According to the designation, Iran Air had been involved in transporting goods to Russia, including electronics and aircraft parts, during the war in Ukraine through both passenger and cargo operations. The EU and U.K. followed with their own sanctions soon thereafter.
Inside the network: Adineh Travel operates as a GSA for Iran Air in Germany, France and Italy under slightly different names.
When the EU and U.K. sanctioned Iran Air last fall, they effectively cut off its flights from Europe. But that hasn’t cut off its network.
According to a Kharon investigation, a complex web of Iran Air’s general sales agents (GSAs) and affiliated companies is continuing to facilitate Iranian import-export operations in Western Europe.
The network is anchored by Adineh Travel, a GSA that acts as Iran Air’s representative to handle its bookings, coordinate cargo and passenger logistics, and manage revenue. While GSAs for other Iranian airlines, notably Mahan Air, have faced sanctions in the past, the network of European-based GSAs tied to Adineh Travel has so far not been sanctioned.
Kharon’s investigation focuses on an Iranian businessman who owns or controls much of the Adineh Travel network with his Italian wife.
Backstory: The U.S. sanctioned Iran Air in September for facilitating illicit activities for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. According to the designation, Iran Air had been involved in transporting goods to Russia, including electronics and aircraft parts, during the war in Ukraine through both passenger and cargo operations. The EU and U.K. followed with their own sanctions soon thereafter.
Inside the network: Adineh Travel operates as a GSA for Iran Air in Germany, France and Italy under slightly different names.
Kharon users can explore this Insight in greater detail through the ClearView platform.
In October, Persia Safar criticized the sanctions imposed on Iran Air, launching a protest campaign on its Telegram channel with the hashtag “#no_to_sanctioning_Iran_Air”:
Davoodi and his wife and business partner, Maria Cristina Fareri, also control Persit Star S.r.l., an Italy-based international import-export company with an office in Iran. Persit Star works with local partners to import and distribute Iranian-origin products ranging from nanotechnology to petrochemicals to construction materials. The company also advertises Adineh Travel services on its website.
Connecting the dots: According to a review of company websites and corporate records, Persit Star extends this network through collaborations with entities such as the UAE-based AKH Building Materials, the Iran-based Negin Stone and the Italy-based AA Trading S.r.l., which Davoodi co-owns.
These companies collectively facilitate the distribution of Iranian goods internationally, with several entities doubling as “showroom locations” for Negin Stone, including the UAE-based National Flower Co. LLC. Notably, National Flower Co. LLC specializes in logistics between China and Iran, handling goods such as automobile parts and accessories.
Connecting the dots: According to a review of company websites and corporate records, Persit Star extends this network through collaborations with entities such as the UAE-based AKH Building Materials, the Iran-based Negin Stone and the Italy-based AA Trading S.r.l., which Davoodi co-owns.
These companies collectively facilitate the distribution of Iranian goods internationally, with several entities doubling as “showroom locations” for Negin Stone, including the UAE-based National Flower Co. LLC. Notably, National Flower Co. LLC specializes in logistics between China and Iran, handling goods such as automobile parts and accessories.
Highlighting the network’s connections, DM Fartak International Air Cargo’s managing director offered cargo-shipping solutions via Adineh Travel in this joint Instagram post by DM Fartak and Persia Safar.
Additionally, Adineh Travel offers cargo services in partnership with the Iran-based DM Fartak International Air Cargo, which Davoodi owns alongside the Italy-based DM Cargo Service Srl.
Kharon users can explore this Insight in greater detail through the ClearView platform.
The bottom line: The Adineh Travel and Persit Star network demonstrates Iran’s persisting and often indirect commercial reach into the West, even after the imposition of sanctions on its largest airlines.
The network’s operations continue now against the backdrop of the United States’ renewed “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which could expand the potential reach of secondary sanctions on financial and logistical enablers of Iran’s sanctioned industries.
The network’s operations continue now against the backdrop of the United States’ renewed “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which could expand the potential reach of secondary sanctions on financial and logistical enablers of Iran’s sanctioned industries.
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