Small Dubai company mistakenly targeted by US sanctions on Iran, owner says

Rahim Reza Farghadani said his firm had been targeted by mistake because it shared an address with Mabrooka, another company blacklisted by Washington on Sunday for supplying Iran's ballistic missile programme.

A Dubai-based Iranian businessman blacklisted in new US sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile programme said on Monday that he and his small company with just a single employee had been targeted by mistake.
Washington added 11 companies and individuals to a sanctions list on Sunday for supplying Iran's ballistic missile programme, in a move that was delayed by more than two weeks so as not to endanger this weekend's release of US prisoners.
Those added to the US blacklist on Sunday include two Iranian businessmen based in Dubai: Hossein Pournaghshband and Rahim Reza Farghadani, and their respective companies, Mabrooka Trading Co and Candid General Trading.
The US Treasury said Mabrooka had supported an Iranian company in its efforts to acquire a production line for carbon fibre "probably suitable for use in ballistic missile components".
Candid was targeted for providing or attempting to provide "financial, material, technological, or other support to Mabrooka Trading and Pournaghshband". But Mr Farghadani said his firm had been targeted by mistake because it shared an address with Mabrooka.
The two companies share a small office with half a dozen desks on the fourth floor of an eight-storey office block in Deira.
Hassan Khaja, an office assistant at Candid Trading, said he was its only other employee, apart from Mr Farghadani. Mabrooka had two employees apart from Mr Pournaghshband, he said. None were there.
Whatever the companies' role, their operations appear on their face to be a far cry from huge organisations like Iran's central bank and state oil and shipping firms, which are having global sanctions lifted as a result of the nuclear agreement.
Mr Farghadani said he could not understand why Candid had been sanctioned. The two companies were entirely separate, he said, apart from sharing office space and a local sponsor, whom Mr Khaja named as Ali Hashemi.
Mr Farghadani said Mabrooka had ceased operations and Mr Pournaghshband left the country three months ago. He declined to comment further. The online registry of Dubai's Department of Economic Development showed no record of Mabrooka Trading Co.
Candid General Trading is registered. Its listed activities include trading of various goods including watches, computers and photographic equipment.
* Reuters