Full Breakdown
Farage’s Reform UK Funding Linked to Iranian Telecom Deal
By Drooid · · How we work
Background of the Iran Joint Venture
A French arbitration judgment uncovered that Iranian-born businessman Hossein Ghandehari (also known as Sasan) was the principal investor in a 2015 fibre-optic cable project that paired his HP Trust-owned Ori Group with Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), a multibillion-pound religious foundation in Mashhad led by the late ayatollah Abbas Vaez Tabasi. The venture, called Omran Razavi International Co, gave AQR a 51 % stake and Ghandehari’s entities a 49 % stake. The partnership operated from 2013 to 2016 before hard-line officials replaced Vaez Tabasi and expelled the Ghandehari-backed side.
Key Players and Financial Details
- Nigel Farage – leader of Reform UK, who has publicly denounced Iran and warned of Iranian agents entering the UK.
- Hossein Ghandehari – 61-year-old Iranian-British businessman, claims to control a $10 bn (£7 bn) HP Trust fund; pledged “regular payments” of more than £1-2 m to Reform UK and donated £50 000 for Davos passes.
- John Richard Simpson – administration professional and church warden who received £200 000 from Reform UK; his design firm, Interior Architecture Landscape, listed the Ghandehari family as a client and later acquired Orico General Trading LLC, the entity that supplied telecom equipment for the Iranian project.
- AQR – described by U.S. sanctions as a “bonyad” that controls large swaths of the Iranian economy and benefits Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Official Responses and Legal Context
Ghandehari’s lawyers argue that characterising him as “working with Iran” is misleading, noting that after 2016 he was targeted by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council with false allegations of colluding with hostile Western powers. They assert the joint venture was approved by French and U.S. authorities and intended to promote political change through greater information access.
Former UK officials, including Tom Keatinge, director of the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI, warned that any private sector activity in Iran’s telecoms “is a risky business” because the line between state and private entities is blurred and requires acceptance from the core leadership.
Implications and Ongoing Questions
The revelations raise questions about the source of Ghandehari’s wealth—estimated to have risen from $2 bn in 2008 to $10 bn now—and the transparency of large donations to a party that has recently intensified anti-Iran rhetoric. While Farage has highlighted Iranian threats, his party’s acceptance of funds from a donor linked to a sanctioned religious foundation continues to attract scrutiny from journalists and security analysts.