Australia spied on US law firm representing Indonesia in trade talks

Are Israeli arms merchants selling weapons to Iran?

February 19, 2014 by Joseph Fitsanakis Leave a comment

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org
A leaked report by American and Greek investigators suggests that an intercepted shipment of military hardware intended for Iran probably originated in Israel. Greek broadsheet Kathimerini said on Sunday it had in its possession a copy of the classified report, which describes the interception of a large shipment of spare parts for military use. The parts are believed to have been intended for use by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). The shipment allegedly contained spare parts for F-4 Phantom aircraft, which were originally built in the United States in the 1960s for use by the US Navy. The Islamic Republic still maintains a sizable fleet of F-4s, which Iran bought from the US in the 1970s, when the two countries were close allies. But a US-imposed embargo on Iran, which has been in effect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has prevented Tehran from easily acquiring spare parts for its aging fleet of F-4s. The Kathimerini report said that the intercepted shipment had been detected following a joint operation by the Greek Financial Crimes Squad and the US Department of Homeland Security. According to the paper, the secret operation began was underway in late 2012 and concluded in April of 2013. But the most shocking part of the report is that the illegal shipment appears to have originated from Binyamina-Giv’at Ada, a small Israeli town located 30 miles south of Haifa. Investigators said the illicit transfer had been facilitated via a Greek firm registered in the Athens district of Votanikos, called “Tassos Karras SA”, which appears to be a front company. Is it possible that Israeli arms merchants are supplying military spare parts to Iran? The Israeli government has refused comment on the case. But Israeli media claimed on Monday that Washington had alerted Tel Aviv about the illegal shipment, and that Israeli officials were aware of —and might even have participated in— the interception operation. But The Times of Israel said that, if true, the Kathimerini report would reveal a “shocking effort by Israelis to supply arms to [Israel’s] most bitter enemy”. However, a report on Monday by Israel’s Channel 2 television station suggested that the shipment might have been part of an Israeli-led sting operation against the government of Iran, and that it was not necessarily the case that “whoever did this was [...] acting against Israel’s interest”.