Sasan Ghandehari, an Iranian-born British billionaire and donor to Reform UK, had past business dealings with Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), an Iranian religious foundation that answers to Iran's Supreme Leader and is now subject to U.S. sanctions. This connection comes to light as Ghandehari pledged millions to Reform UK and personally contributed £50,000 to party leader Nigel Farage for access to the Davos World Economic Forum.

These revelations prompt questions about political transparency and potential foreign influence within British politics, especially given Farage's recent and strong anti-Iran stance.

Records Show

A French arbitration ruling detailed Ghandehari's involvement in a telecommunications project in Iran between 2013 and 2016. His family's HP Trust, through its Ori Group, acquired a 49% stake in Omran Razavi International Co., a joint venture established to build a fiber-optic network across Iran. The remaining 51% of this venture was owned by Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), a religious foundation based in Mashhad. AQR is recognized as a powerful Iranian religious foundation under the authority of Iran's Supreme Leader.

In 2013, Omran Razavi International Co. held stakes in two majority state-owned banks, Bank Mellat and Bank Tejerat. Both banks were under sanctions at that time due to their involvement in Iran's nuclear program. Ghandehari's lawyers assert that these bank stakes were divested before HP Trust's Ori Group finalized its agreement for a 49% stake in the venture in December 2014. They also claim that authorities in France and the United States had approved the deal.

Timeline

The telecommunications project originated from a contract awarded in 2012 by Iran's state-owned Telecommunication Infrastructure Company. Ori Group became a shareholder in the joint venture in 2015, although the agreement for its stake was signed in December 2014. The venture with AQR reportedly collapsed around 2016, following the death of AQR's then-leader, Ayatollah Abbas Vaez Tabasi, and the appointment of a more hardline leadership. On January 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Astan Quds Razavi. The U.S. government described AQR as controlled by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, benefiting him and senior Iranian government officials, and having extensive economic holdings including assets seized from political dissidents and religious minorities. AQR continues to be listed on U.S. sanctions lists.

What Changed

After the venture's collapse in 2016, AQR took full control of the project. Ghandehari's lawyers claim that he and his companies were later targeted by Iran's Supreme National Security Council, facing accusations of collaborating with hostile Western powers, which they deny as false. His lawyers state Ghandehari has not visited Iran for three decades and that his family's assets in Iran were confiscated in 2016.

What the Subject Has Said Publicly

Ghandehari has stated his intention to move his tax residency from Switzerland to the UK to make "regular payments" exceeding "one or two million" to Reform UK. He expressed his belief that Farage is "the only person who can change this country". Ghandehari's lawyers maintain that the telecommunications project was approved by authorities in France and the United States and was intended to promote political change and expand internet access in Iran. They emphasized that AQR was considered the only viable partner at the time to facilitate the project and that the project was not intended to support the Iranian government.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has taken an increasingly critical stance towards the Iranian regime. In November 2024, he called for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be proscribed as a terrorist organization, reiterating this position in May 2025. In June 2025, Farage expressed opposition to "de-escalation" with Iran, stating he wanted its "bloody awful regime" to be "wiped out". In March 2026, he suggested Iran "potentially poses a bigger danger than Putin poses to us".

What We Could Not Confirm

  • The full extent of due diligence conducted by Reform UK regarding Sasan Ghandehari's past business dealings before accepting donations.
  • Whether the French and U.S. approvals for the telecommunications project specifically addressed the involvement of AQR at the time, given its later sanctioning.
  • The exact nature and value of the assets allegedly confiscated from Ghandehari's family in Iran in 2016.
  • The specific details and outcomes of the alleged targeting and investigation by Iran's Supreme National Security Council against Ghandehari and his companies.