- Iran's IRGC used a UAE-based network to acquire Chinese satellite communication gear
- Equipment shipped from Shanghai to Iran via Dubai through company Telesun in Ras al Khaimah
- Iranian ship Rama III concealed GPS location while transporting cargo to Bandar Abbas port
Iran's powerful military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), allegedly used a UAE-based network to secretly buy advanced Chinese satellite communication equipment linked to its drone and missile programme.
The equipment was routed through a company called Telesun, based in Ras al Khaimah in the UAE, according to leaked shipping records and contracts reviewed by the Financial Times. The company reportedly arranged the shipment of nearly 1.8 tonnes of Chinese-made satellite antenna equipment from Shanghai to Iran via Dubai in late 2025.
The shipment included a 4.5-meter motorised satellite antenna, accessories and communication equipment, which were packed in six large cases. The report claims the Chinese ship unloaded the container at Jebel Ali port in Dubai. Later, an Iranian ship named Rama III collected the cargo from the same port and transported it to Iran's Bandar Abbas.
The report also shows that the Iranian ship, Rama III, tried to hide its location by broadcasting false GPS locations near Oman while it was actually travelling towards Iran. Satellite pictures later showed a ship matching Rama III docked at Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas.
The military-grade technology was allegedly meant for the IRGC's Aerospace Force. The equipment was delivered to an Iranian telecom company linked to Saman Industrial Group, an entity already sanctioned by the US in December 2023 over alleged ties to Iran's missile and drone development.
US officials have alleged that Saman helped Iran obtain drone-related equipment through intermediary companies across different countries. The European Union has also sanctioned the IRGC-linked organisation over claims it supplied Iranian drones to Russia.
Shipping records also named Blue Calm Marine Services as the Iranian shipping agent handling the cargo. The US had sanctioned the company in 2023 for allegedly helping transport missile materials to the Iranian defence ministry.
The report further claimed that the IRGC later used similar satellite and communication capabilities during attacks that damaged US military bases in the Middle East, killed 13 American service members and injured hundreds of others.
The UAE became one of the biggest targets of Iranian retaliation after the US and Israel carried out strikes against Iran, which launched over 2,800 drones and missiles at the UAE, including attacks on civilian areas.
