An investigative report conducted in collaboration with risk consultancy 240 Analytics has exposed a sophisticated, secret network of over 5,000 Iranian military agencies operating under naming conventions starting with “MOD” (or VODJA in Farsi).
The covert apparatus has reportedly imported over $2 billion in military hardware, solid rocket propellants, explosives, and heavy trucks since January 2025, effectively bypassing Western sanctions and US naval blockades.
Traced through leaked Bank Sepah records and global shipping data dating back to 2016, the network operates primarily under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and elite-controlled business conglomerates known as bonyads.
Corporate filings show most agencies were formed in 2013, sharing a Tehran defence ministry address and unique 11-digit IDs. Crucially, 97 per cent of reviewed transactions occurred “without currency transfer,” bypassing global banking channels to avoid triggering compliance alerts.
The largest procurement hub identified, MOD 346428, imported $2.3 billion in goods between January 2025 and June 2026. Among these shipments were 886 tonnes of solid rocket fuel precursors sourced from China, 435 Iveco trucks often repurposed as mobile missile launchers, and thousands of modified Toyota pickups.
Authorities linked a massive April 2025 explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port—which killed 70 people—to ignited sodium perchlorate imported by this entity.
Despite active military conflict and blockades, deliveries of titanium, nitrocellulose, precision machinery, and Russian detonators have continued uninterrupted.
While the US Treasury asserted it remains “10 steps ahead” in severing Iranian economic lifelines, former sanctions officials described the hidden procurement web as the complete, vital ecosystem supporting Tehran’s military trade.
