Hossein Ghandehari pledged to provide millions of pounds to the Reform UK political party this summer. The businessman has already donated £50,000 to Nigel Farage.
Ghandehari stated he will make regular payments exceeding one or two million pounds to the party. He is currently moving his tax residency from Switzerland to the United Kingdom.
Ghandehari operates a $10bn fund known as HP Trust. His fortune was estimated at $2bn in 2008 but is reported to be $10bn today.
In a recent court case, he was required to provide evidence that he could cover £1.5m in legal costs. The HP Trust was the ultimate owner of Ori Group.
Ori Group acquired a 49% stake in Omran Razavi International Co in 2015. Astan Quds Razavi (AQR) held 51% of Omran Razavi International Co.
The US government imposed sanctions on AQR in 2021. Ghandehari was the primary investor in a project to build and supply a fibre-optic cable across Iran.
Lawyers for Sasan Ghandehari claimed his involvement aimed to promote political change by increasing access to information. The same lawyers stated that Hossein Ghandehari never met Vaez Tabasi.
The original contract for the fibre-optic deal was granted to the Omran consortium in 2012. Omran Razavi International Co held interests in Bank Tejerat and Bank Mellat in 2013.
AQR took over the entire joint venture in 2016. Mohammed Reza Noory served an 18-year prison sentence in Evin.
Farage accused Iran of posing a greater danger to the UK than Vladimir Putin in March. John Richard Simpson gave £200,000 to Reform UK last year.
