By: Dr. Yossi Mansharof.
Dr. Mansharof is a researcher on Iran, Hezbollah, and Shiite militias at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.
Mahan Air, known for its ties to the Quds Force’s smuggling network, operated frequent flights in mid-December 2024 to Beirut via Turkey. These flights raise a strong suspicion that Iran is seeking to establish a new smuggling route for Hezbollah. Blocking the route is a clear Israeli and American interest.
According to flight monitoring systems, between December 13, 2024, and the end of December 2024, the Iranian airline Mahan Air carried out 11 flights to Beirut’s Rafiq Hariri International Airport via Turkish airspace. These flights continued throughout the month of January 2025. Mahan Air is well known for its ties to the Revolutionary Guards and the Quds Force. In light of this, there is a strong suspicion that Tehran has found a new arms smuggling route, having lost, for the time being, physical access to the Syrian geographical area.
In the background, it should be noted that the Iranian leader deliberately refrained from directly criticizing Turkey, despite its involvement in the overthrow of the Assad regime. This is in contrast to parliamentarians, media circles, diplomats, and even his senior adviser on international affairs.
As early as 2011, the US included Mahan Air in its sanctions list due to its close cooperation with the Quds Force and the assistance it provided to the organization’s terrorist activities. The US Treasury Department has determined that the company maintains close cooperation with the Quds Force, in which it secretly transfers operatives, weapons, and money on its flights.
As part of its activities, Mahan Air provided transportation services to Quds Force personnel between Iran and Syria for military training. Additionally, the company transported Quds Force officers to and from Iraq, contributing to the Quds Force’s massive assistance to Shiite militias in Iraq during the Iraq War (2003-2011).
Many research institutes in Israel and the United States (including the Alma Institute) emphasized in their research, the close ties of Mahan Air with the Quds Force and the Revolutionary Guards. As a result, the company is recognized as one of the main providers of smuggling services, finance, and terrorist operatives by air for the Quds Force and Iran’s proxies.
In addition to Mahan Air, there are other Iranian airlines that cooperate with the Iranian smuggling network, including Iran Air, Mirage Air, Qeshm Air, and Caspian Air. Mahan Air continues to operate flights to countries outside the Middle East, such as China, despite the sanctions, however it is banned from entering the United States, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Japan, Germany, and France.
According to reports, Mahan Air also facilitated the smuggling of weapons destined for the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in Gaza, when in August-September 2012 it smuggled weapons to Sudan.
Media reports from the past decade indicate that the unit in the Quds Force with which Mahan Air cooperates is Unit 190, which is responsible for the smuggling system. Unit 190 operates a sophisticated smuggling network that transfers weapons to Iranian-backed proxy organizations throughout the Middle East.
Behnam Shahriyari, an expert in the field of arms and money smuggling, has headed Unit 190 for many years. A May 2022 sanctions announcement revealed that Shahariyari ran a network of operators in Turkey with the aim of money laundering. Furthermore, based on publicly available information, Shahariyari previously attempted to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah using Turkish territory.
In May 2007, a consignment of weapons containers from the Quds Force was intercepted while it was being transferred from Iran to Syria via Turkey by rail, ostensibly for Hezbollah. The containers carried 122 mm mortar ammunition as well as explosives. Shahariyari signed the bill of lading on behalf of the cover business, Shahriyari Trading Ltd, however it is unclear if the effort was carried out with the knowledge of Turkish officials.
Is Iran trying to develop an aviation smuggling route through Turkey? It is critical to note that Turkey, as a NATO member, is not permitted to allow Mahan Air or Behnam Shahriyari’s activity in its territory, although the latter may have already had preliminary coordination in Turkey (not necessarily with the knowledge of Turkish authorities) for the purpose of smuggling weapons.
On January 02, 2025, Lebanese authorities conducted a comprehensive inspection of the cargo on one of Mahan Air’s direct flights to Beirut, attracting media attention. The Lebanese media reported that intelligence information indicated an Iranian intention to transfer financial aid to Hezbollah on this flight, prompting the investigation.
Turkey, which has become a leading power in the new Syria, is a partner with which Iran is interested in cooperating in the framework of adapting its policy to the changing regional reality. Iranian-Turkish relations are complicated: Alongside regional rivalry, the two countries cooperate on certain issues, such as their opposition to the Kurdish aspirations for independence.
Turkey also serves as a key player in circumventing sanctions on Iran. Therefore, Israel must warn the incoming Trump administration against Iran’s attempt to establish a new smuggling route through Turkish airspace. The Biden administration has not done enough to enforce the sanctions on Iran, especially in the field of oil sales, and the execution of the sanctions will be the first test of the Trump administration’s commitment to stiffen its stance against Iran. Whether it is arms smuggling or financial smuggling, Hezbollah is now in urgent need of Iranian assistance as part of its reconstruction efforts, and therefore preventing this aid is in the shared interest of Israel and the United States.
** The article was also published in the Yisrael Hayom newspaper on January 15, 2025.
