UANI

"Iran signed a deal reportedly worth up to $1 billion with Russia's Tatneft on Sunday to develop an oil field, a rare example of new foreign investment into the oil and gas sector of a country under ever tighter economic sanctions... The president of the southern Russian republic of Tatarstan, the home of Tatneft, in Tehran for the signing, also visited Iran's giant South Pars gas field and said he hoped for further economic cooperation with Iran." (The Wall Street Jounal, "Russian company signs up to develop Iran oil field," 12/17/2011)

Gazprombank is a subsidiary of Russian gas producer and exporter giant, Gazprom. (Gazprombank website, "Bank's Shareholders")

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"The semi-official Iranian Mehr news agency said on Friday that importers in India -- Iran's second biggest oil customer after China -- were paying off oil debts through Gazprombank... 'There has been no word of this at all... No name has been mentioned, not Gazprom nor any other particular bank. These news reports are not valid,' said the ministry source... An Indian industry source said there had been talks about paying for Iranian oil via Gazprombank but no Indian companies had yet opened an account there and they were still paying through Halkbank." (Reuters, "Iran downplays report India paying for oil via Russia," 10/29/2011) 

"Thirty-six years after construction began under the shah, Iran finally opened its first nuclear power plant at a ceremony on Saturday. Attended by senior officials from Iran and Russia, which helped build the plant, the ceremony marked the beginning of the transfer of low-enriched uranium fuel rods from a storage site into the plant. Officials of both countries said that Saturday's events signified the opening, not the startup, of the plant near Bushehr, in southern Iran." (The New York Times, “Iran Opens Its First Nuclear Power Plant,” 08/21/10)

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 “Technicians began the process of moving uranium fuel from a storage area to the reactor at Iran's first nuclear power plant on Saturday, the spokesman for Russia's state-run nuclear corporation said. The beginning of the first stage of the physical start-up has taken place," Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov said at the Russian-built plant near Bushehr in southern Iran.” (Reuters Africa, “Start-up of Iran Bushehr plant has begun- Rosatom,” 08/21/10)

Noted for conducting business with Iranian banks ("Iran's Dirty Banking", Avi Jorisch)

"Open sources reported that Litasco (Lukoil's trading subsidiary) sold gasoline to Iran in 2009 and 2010. Open sources reported that Lukoil stopped selling gasoline to Iran 2010." (U.S. Government Accountability Office, Report: "Firms Reported in Open Sources to Have Sold Iran Refined Petroleum Products between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010," September 3, 2010)

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"Russian oil giant LUKOIL has resumed gasoline sales into Iran together with China's state-run firm Zhuhai Zhenrong, even as the United States urges the global community to be tough with Tehran.  Iran is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter but lacks adequate refining capacity to meet domestic demand for motor fuel, forcing it to import up to 40 percent of its requirements." (Reuters, "Russia's LUKOIL resumes gasoline supply to Iran-trade", 8/11/2010)

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The Wall Street Journal lists LITASCO SA as a company that sold gasoline to Iran in 2009. (The Wall Street Journal, "Black-Market Gasoline Shelters Iran," 6/17/2010)

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This revelation comes following an article in April, 2009, in which "Commodities Now" reported that "Russian oil company LUKoil’s trading arm LITASCO has decided to stop selling refined products to Iran, in what is widely understood to be a politically motivated move after pressure to do so from the Russian government."

Prior to this announcement, the company was reportedly "shipping between 250,000 and 500,000 barrels of gasoline (petrol) to Iran per month. (CommoditiesNow, "Lukoil Halts Fuel Trade with Iran," 4/9/2010).

In a correspondance with the SEC in 2009, Mobile TeleSystems disclosed details regarding their signed agreements with Iran.

"The Company has roaming agreements with operators in Iran.  The International Roaming Agreement between OJSC “MTS” and Mobile Company of Iran (“MCI”) was signed April 24, 2006.  The International Roaming Agreement between OJSC “MTS” and “Taliya Iran” was signed November 18, 2006.  The International Roaming Agreement between OJSC “MTS” and MTN Irancell was signed May 25, 2008." (CORRESP for MOBILE TELESYSTEMS OJSC, 11/27/2009)

In 2006, "Rosoboronexport contracted with Iran late July to modernize 30 Su-24 front bombers which may bear tactic nuclear weapons. The contract is to be executed by Sukhoi." (Kommersant, "Sanctions Imposed on Russian Companies Linked with Iran," 08/05/06)

"For two years, the United States regarded Rosoboronexport, Russia’s official weapons exporter, as an international pariah for selling arms to Iran and Syria. Then, in 2010, the U.S. suddenly lifted sanctions against it. By June of this year, the reversal was complete: the Pentagon awarded the company a no-bid contract worth upwards of $1 billion… Rosoboronexport, whose annual revenues have grown to nearly $9 billion, had only recently been removed from the list of companies sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for violating U.S. laws prohibiting the sale of weapons to Iran and Syria. Among the suspected sales were surface-to-air missiles to Iran. But after sanctions were lifted, the Army went full steam ahead with plans to sole-source a $375 million contract to the Russian arms agency, now arguing that it was the only legitimate vendor of Russian armaments." (Wired. "Russian Firm Got No-Bid Pentagon Contract After Selling Arms to Iran," 8/31/11)

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"Russia's state arms export agency said Monday that it is supplying Iran with defensive weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, but did not say whether they include the sophisticated long-range S-300 missiles...Rosoboronexport said in a statement that 'only weapons of a defensive nature are being supplied to Iran, including anti-aircraft weaponry.' It added that, previously, Tor-M1 air-defense systems were supplied to Iran." (Associated Press, "Russia giving Iran only defensive weapons," 12/22/08)

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"Rosoboronexport contracted with Iran late July to modernize 30 Su-24 front bombers which may bear tactic nuclear weapons. The contract is to be executed by Sukhoi." (Kommersant, "Sanctions Imposed on Russian Companies Linked to Iran," 08/05/2006)

Atomstroyexport, called "Russia's main nuclear exporter," is under German investigation for possibly breaking European rules by transporting Iran-bound shipments through Europe: “The formal investigation into Russia's activities by Frankfurt prosecutors…provides a window into the extent of the ongoing nuclear traffic with Iran, as well as the international tug of war over how much of it to stop."

“Frankfurt prosecutors say they launched their investigations after customs officials seized air-freight cargo en route from Moscow to Tehran that they determined contained monitoring equipment bound for the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which has been haltingly under construction since the 1970s. The EU argues that helping even the civilian side of Iran's nuclear program serves to strengthen the full nuclear program, so it prohibits dealings with Bushehr...The prosecutors are examining the alleged role in transporting nuclear-related supplies through Europe by workers of the three airlines, and of employees of the alleged source of the cargo—JSC AtomStroyExport, the export arm of Russia's Atomic Energy Ministry.

AtomStroyExport has been helping Iran at Bushehr since signing a $1 billion contract in 1995, the Russian firm's website says. Russia recently committed to opening the plant by August."

"Both Russia and Iran say AtomStroyExport's participation in the construction of the Bushehr plant is legal. An AtomStroyExport spokeswoman said none of its shipments were affected by sanctions, stopped by German investigators or addressed to Iran's atomic agency."

"A European intelligence official said he believed the shipments seized in Europe represent the "tip of the iceberg" of Russian shipments to Iran" (The Wall Street Journal, "Germany Probes Russian Shipments to Iran." 6/12/10).

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"Atomstroyexport JSC continues construction of Bushehr NPP, which was begun in 1974 by German concern Kraftwerk Union A.G. (Siemens/KWU). In 1980 the concern terminated the contract with the Iranian customer because of the decision of the German government to join the American embargo on the equipment supplies to Iran.

On August 24th, 1992 the Cooperation Agreement in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy was signed between the government of the Russian Federation and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and on August 25th, 1992 the Agreement was concluded on construction of the NPP in Iran. In January, 1995 the contract was signed for completion of construction of power unit No.1 of Bushehr NPP, and in 1998 Supplement No.1 to the above contract was signed according to which Atomstroyexport was assigned with management of the construction completion. Actually the countdown of construction of Bushehr NPP by the Russian party began in1998." (Company Website)

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"On February 25, 2009 Head of SC Rosatom, Mr. Sergey Kirienko, and President of Atomstroyexport JSC, Mr. Dan Belenkiy, made a working visit to the Site of Bushehr NPP being constructed on a “turnkey” basis by Atomstroyexport JSC. Loading of dummy fuel assemblies in the reactor of Unit No. 1 started during the visit." (Company Website)

Flights run between Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport (IKA) and multiple cities in Europe.