Iran's Revolutionary Guards used a UAE-based procurement network to acquire advanced Chinese satellite communications equipment linked to its drone programme, records seen by the FT reveal. Telesun, a company based in Ras al Khaimah, arranged the shipment of roughly 1.8 tonnes of military-grade satellite antenna equipment from Shanghai to Iran, routing it through Jebel Ali port in Dubai.

The deal shows how the IRGC's Aerospace Force drew on commercial networks in the UAE to source strategically sensitive technology. Shipping records and satellite imagery confirm an Iranian vessel, the Zhong Gu Yin Chuan, spoofed its GPS position to disguise a delivery to Bandar Abbas. The equipment was consigned to Ertebatat Faragostar Kish, an Iranian telecoms firm working for Saman Industrial Group, which the US Treasury sanctioned in December 2023 as a front for the guards' drone and missile programmes.

The UAE's role as a regional trade hub has drawn scrutiny over free zones with weak oversight, creating gaps exploited for illicit trade. The IRGC later used satellite communications capabilities to monitor US military bases before attacks that killed 13 American service personnel. The Earth Eye, a Chinese satellite provider, was separately sanctioned for supporting these operations.