Iran's intelligence minister on Thursday steered clear of any comment on a US-backed deal aimed at winding down the Gaza war but said Tehran had foiled Israeli designs for regime change.
Esmail Khatib said the surprise military campaign launched by Israel on Iran in June falsely assumed that its people would rise up and overthrow the Islamic Republic.
“The intended outcome was to witness regime overthrow and national disintegration in our country,” Khatib said Thursday in Hamedan, official media reported.
“The enemy’s entire design was based on the premise that the people are dissatisfied and opposed to the system and government, and that the arrival of the Zionist regime would spark chaos in the country.”
Khatib accused Israel and its Western allies of trying to fuel unrest through “financial inducements, incitement, creating dissatisfaction and distrust, sectoral gatherings and sporadic protests and hype in virtual spaces,” aiming to destabilize Iran internally.
“But they failed to achieve their sinister goals,” Khatib said.
'Missiles ensured victory'
Israel launched a surprise military campaign against Iran on June 13, targeting nuclear and military sites as well as senior officials. The attacks assassinated nuclear scientists and killed hundreds of military officials and civilians.
Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones which killed 31 Israeli civilians and an off-duty soldier.
The United States joined the conflict with air attacks on three key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 before brokering a ceasefire on June 24, ending what became the most direct confrontation between the two countries to date.
Khatib credited the leadership by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and military response for what he described as Tehran’s victory.
“Under the leadership of the Leader, our losses were quickly contained through prompt appointments and prudent measures, combined with the zeal, strength, and power of our armed forces. The missile superiority of our forces brought a great victory for our country,” he said.
Khatib also praised what he described as the public's solidarity during the conflict, saying citizens from all walks of life stood with the government.
“The people have fulfilled their duty to us. Despite different tastes, lifestyles, and views, they stood firm with the system and revolution, supporting the Leadership and proving themselves,” Khatib said.
The investigation, led by research firm Kharon and backed by a US civil forfeiture case, reveals how the network used intermediaries across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas to conceal its Iranian military end-users.
“With its use of layered intermediaries, third-country brokers and seemingly legitimate front companies in Western Europe, the helicopter-parts network demonstrates the growing sophistication of the illicit supply chains that support sanctioned military programs,” Kharon said.
The US Treasury’s October 1 sanctions followed the UN’s snapback on Iranian restrictions and targeted the Iran-based Pasargad Parvaz Kish Helicopter Company (PHC) and its Germany-based chief executive, Mehdi Shirazi Shayesteh. Treasury said PHC procured aircraft and spare parts for Iran’s state helicopter maker, PANHA, using a “transnational procurement network.”
Corporate filings show that PHC’s ownership ties extend into the investment arm of the sanctioned Pasargad Bank, embedding it within Iran’s restricted financial system.
According to a civil forfeiture complaint reviewed by Kharon, Shayesteh and his Iran-based partner, Amirhossein Salimi—the head of Uruguay’s Perfect Day SA—set up a joint venture in Portugal in 2021 called Business United Unipessoal LDA. Their first deal was the acquisition of a US-origin helicopter, which was routed through the network and eventually sold to PHC.
A US link in the chain
Among the entities linked to the operation was Cobra International, a Union City, New Jersey–based supplier that advertises itself as serving “civilian and military markets.” Between 2021 and 2023, Business United carried out several transactions with Cobra, including a $209,000 purchase of a used helicopter engine that US authorities later seized.
Kharon’s review found Cobra’s business connections also reached companies tied to Russia’s defense sector.
Court filings identified Dubai-based Indian broker Krishnamurthy Shekar as a key facilitator who sought helicopter engines from Cobra in 2023 on behalf of Business United. He maintains professional links to several aviation suppliers in the UAE and India.
In Europe, Swedish national Ramtin Emami directed two companies—Nordic Air and Heli Invest AB—that received US-origin parts from Cobra and re-exported them to Iran. Business United requested that the shipments be routed through Sweden before their final delivery to PHC, according to Kharon’s findings.
The case underscores the growing complexity of Iran’s defense procurement networks, which rely on Western intermediaries, layered brokers and front companies to mask their military objectives.
