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Majid Azami

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Majid A'zami
مجید اعظمی
Personal details
Born1983 (age 41–42)
Esfahan, Iran

Majid A'zami (مجید اعظمی; born January 6, 1983, in Esfahan, Iran)[1] is an Iranian oil executive and businessman. He currently serves as the deputy chairman, managing director, and board member of Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company, commonly known as Sepehr Energy. The company is reportedly involved in facilitating oil sales on behalf of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS).[2]

On November 29, 2023, A'zami was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under Executive Order 13224 for his role in facilitating oil sales on behalf of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, which contributes to Iran's military activities.[3][4]

Professional background

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Azami is a veteran Iranian oil executive. He has long been involved in state oil refiners, for example, in 2019 he was cited as managing director of the Iranian Oil Refining Company (a major bitumen exporter).[5][6] In 2018 he was identified as a senior official at the Jey Oil Refining Company.[7][8][9][10] Investigative profiles note that Azami has led multiple semi-government refineries (in Tehran and Isfahan) for years and is "one of the most influential figures" in Iran's bitumen export trade kountrass.com.[11][12][13]

Role at Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars

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Azami is currently deputy chairman, board member and managing director of Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company, commonly known as Sepehr Energy. U.S. officials describe Sepehr Energy as a front company that "oversees" commodity sales for Iran's Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS).[14] In official accounts, Sepehr Energy "is headed by" Majid A'zami, whom Treasury notes is "an Iranian oil ministry official".[15] Under Azami's leadership, Sepehr Energy has organized large oil and condensate sales abroad (often using international brokers) on behalf of Iran's military budget.[14] (For example, in mid-2023 a Sepehr employee arranged sales to foreign buyers using falsified certificates of origin).[14][16]

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Azami is under U.S. sanctions. On November 29, 2023, the U.S. Treasury designated Azami pursuant to counter‑terrorism authority (Executive Order 13224),[14][1] explicitly naming him for "being a leader or official of Sepehr Energy".[17] In that action, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars and its affiliate Pishro Tejarat Sana Co. were also designated as material facilitators of Iran's military revenue. Several sources have reported that Majid A'zami was among 21 people and entities sanctioned for aiding Iran's defense ministries (alongside Sepehr Energy and others).[18][15][19] As an SDN (Specially Designated National), Azami's U.S. assets are blocked and U.S. persons are barred from doing business with him. Media coverage emphasizes that Sepehr Energy functions as a "front company" for Iranian military oil sales funding groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.[20][21] In U.S. statements, Azami is accused of financing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) proxies. One report notes that a year and a half before the sanctions he was "accused of financing" the IRGC.[22] No major international government (EU/UN) sanctions specifically target Azami by name, but the U.S. action is effectively a global freeze under U.S. law.[23][24][25][26]

International dealings and influence

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Azami and Sepehr Energy have a broad international footprint. Treasury press statements describe how Sepehr and its brokers use Hong Kong and Gulf trading firms to sell Iranian oil abroad.[14] For example, Hong Kong's Puyuan Trade Co. brokered condensate sales that Sepehr packaged as Malaysian-origin, and Dubai-based companies (Unique Performance, OPG Global, JEP Petrochemical, etc.) executed multimillion-barrel crude sales to China, Europe, and other markets.[14] These transactions, facilitated through a network of front firms, underline Azami's influence in channeling Iranian oil revenue to sanctioned military accounts. Notably, investigative reports (citing Der Spiegel and Iran International) describe Azami's involvement in a 2025 attempt to recover about $1.6 billion in Iranian oil proceeds frozen in Luxembourg.[27][28] This effort (reportedly involving Azami's planned travel to Luxembourg) aimed to repatriate funds held since 2008 in connection with a U.S. court judgment for the 1983 Beirut bombing.[29][30]

An Iran International report, based or emails and documents, reveals that Tehran-based Sepehr Energy Jahannama Pars allegedly acted as a military front to export sanctioned Iranian oil to Asia. The company established shell firms, Sepehr Energy Paya Gostar Jahan and Sepehr Energy Hamta Pars, to hide its armed forces affiliation. Despite denials from figures such as Majid Azami and Elyas Niroumand Toumaj, internal files indicate military-backed contracts and shipping arrangements.[31]

To disguise the oil’s origin, the network used a Hong Kong-based proxy, Xin Rui Ji, conducting ship-to-ship transfers in Singaporean waters. This proxy approached buyers in Europe, China, and the Persian Gulf—including the Dutch firm Gemini Group. Emails show both awareness of Iranian state involvement and an ongoing business relationship, despite concerns over sanctions.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Majid A'zami". OpenSanctions.org. 1983-01-06. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  2. ^ "Connected entities with Sepehr Energy - networks". IFMAT. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  3. ^ "Executive Order 13224". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  4. ^ Kahn, Rav Henri (2025-03-10). "Un homme de l'industrie pétrolière en mission: "L'Iran a tenté de récupérer 1,6 milliard de dollars au Luxembourg"". קונטרס (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  5. ^ "Iran bitumen export reaches to 19 countries". Iran News Daily. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  6. ^ آنلاین, اقتصاد (2017-02-17). مجید اعظمی مدیر عامل شرکت نفت جی شد. Eghtesad-online (in Persian). Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  7. ^ "Iran introduces new restrictions on tar exports". Azernews.Az. 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  8. ^ صادرات قیر فقط با مجوز وزارت نفت/مقابله با رانت و سوداگری. Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  9. ^ نشست مشترک مدیران نفت پاسارگاد و نفت جی. ایرنا (in Persian). 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  10. ^ "ارزآوری ۴۰۰ میلیون دلاری صادرات قیر در سال گذشته". ایرنا (in Persian). 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  11. ^ Kahn, Rav Henri (2025-03-10). "Un homme de l'industrie pétrolière en mission: "L'Iran a tenté de récupérer 1,6 milliard de dollars au Luxembourg"". Kountrass (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  12. ^ iranianuk.com (2025). اطلاعات اختصاصی از سرشبکه‌های قاچاق نفت خامنه‌ای و سپاه به مدیریت مجید اعظمی. iranianuk.com (in Persian). Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  13. ^ پیمانکاری حمل قیر حسن محمدی - معارفه مدیر عامل شرکت پالایش نفت جی. phgm.ir. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Treasury Targets Oil Network Generating Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Iran's Military". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2025-02-08. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  15. ^ a b "Treasury Targets Large Iranian Military Financial Facilitation Networks". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2025-02-08. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  16. ^ "توضیحات مدیرعامل پالایش جی در مورد اتهام خام‌فروشی | پایگاه خبری تحلیلی انصاف نیوز". انصاف نیوز (in Persian). 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  17. ^ IT, Lursoft (2025). "Majid A'ZAMI".
  18. ^ "US puts sanctions on 21 people, entities for aiding Iran". 2023.
  19. ^ "Majid Azami - Involved In". IFMAT. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  20. ^ "US imposes sanctions on IRGC network over Iranian oil smuggling to China". IFMAT. 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  21. ^ "US sanctions financial network tied to Iranian oil sales". AP News. 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  22. ^ "US targets Iran-Russia network over oil sent to Syria". IFMAT. 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  23. ^ Wecker, Menachem (2023-11-29). "US sanctions 21 of the Iran military's financial backers". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  24. ^ "MAJID A'ZAMI (US)". ISEA. 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  25. ^ "آمریکا ۲۰ فرد و نهاد را به دلیل مشارکت در تسهیل مالی به نفع نهادهای نظامی ایران تحریم کرد". www.iranintl.com (in Persian). 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  26. ^ "تحریم‌های آمریکا علیه 20 شخص و نهاد مرتبط با ایران - تسنیم". خبرگزاری تسنیم | Tasnim (in Persian). Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  27. ^ "Iran seeks frozen funds in Europe after military setbacks - Der Spiegel". 2025.
  28. ^ Schmid, Fidelius (2025-03-06). "Military Funding: Iran Seeks to Access Billions in Frozen Hard Currency". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  29. ^ "US judge orders $1.68 billion payout to families over 1983 Beirut bombing". 2023.
  30. ^ "US court overturns 1983 Beirut bombing victims' $1.68B judgment against Iran bank". Voice of America. 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  31. ^ a b Anvari, Amirhadi (2025-05-12). "Iranian military front company masked identity to sell oil, documents show". www.iranintl.com. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
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