Iran regime uses former Soviet republic to dodge sanctions, fund war machine: report

With Iran progressively isolated among its Gulf neighbors, caller reports opportunity Tehran has been deepening its ties successful nan South Caucasus pinch nan Republic of Georgia.

The erstwhile Soviet republic, which was until precocious seen arsenic an aspiring European Union and imaginable NATO personnel candidate, has slow moved person to Tehran.

"Iran has built a immense power infrastructure successful Georgia, which includes entities sanctioned by nan U.S. authorities for links to extremism and viewed successful Washington arsenic fronts for nan Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," Giorgi Kandelaki, erstwhile personnel of nan Georgian Parliament, told Fox News Digital. 

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An anti-war activistic holds an Iranian emblem during a march organized by Stop nan War Coalition, calling for an extremity to hostilities amid nan U.S.-Israeli conflict pinch Iran, successful London, Britain, March 7, 2026. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)

Kandelaki, co-author of a caller study pinch nan Hudson Institute titled Georgia’s Iranian Turn: Tehran’s Rapid Expansion of Influence successful a Once-Committed U.S. Ally, said that Tbilisi’s move toward Iran is bad for Georgians but besides bad for U.S. interests successful nan region.

"Georgia has an overwhelmingly pro-U.S. nationalist sentiment committed to Western values pinch it besides being viewed arsenic a accepted U.S. state successful Washington. This reality presents a unspeakable precedent and reversing this trajectory is successful nan liking of some nan U.S. but besides Georgian society," he added.

While Georgia has remained diplomatically neutral, nan Hudson study specifications nan budding ties betwixt nan 2 countries and really Iran uses Georgia arsenic a web for intelligence infrastructure, penetrating Georgia’s religious, acquisition and taste institutions to effect society.

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Supporters of nan ruling Georgian Dream statement be a rally successful nan halfway of Tbilisi, Georgia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Shakh Aivazov/AP)

As acold backmost arsenic 2007, Iran opened nan Georgian branch of Al-Mustafa University, which is considered 1 of Iran’s main arms for nan dissemination of Islamic Republic laminitis Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's ideology abroad, according to United Against a Nuclear Iran.

The U.S. Treasury Department stated successful 2020 that Iran’s IRGC-Quds Force uses Al-Mustafa University successful Georgia arsenic an world recruitment web for Iran and acts arsenic a conduit for nan Islamic Republic’s ideological and information interests.

"Al-Mustafa has facilitated unwitting visitors from Western countries to travel to Iran, from whom IRGC-Qud's Force members sought to cod intelligence," nan Treasury Department said. The Treasury Department besides said that nan assemblage facilitated student exchanges pinch overseas universities to create intelligence sources.

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A image of nan precocious Iran's ultimate leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sits astatine nan entranceway to nan Iranian embassy successful Tbilisi connected March 6, 2026.  (Vano Shlamov / AFP via Getty Images)

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A study from nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies estimated nan university’s yearly fund is $100 cardinal and has trained tens of thousands of emissaries crossed nan world who dispersed Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

Iran has utilized sympathetic Georgians to perpetrate world crimes to beforehand its home agenda.

While nary links person ever been made pinch nan Tbilisi government, a Georgian national, Agil Aslanov, who had ties to organized crime, was reportedly recruited by nan Quds Forces to assassinate a salient Jewish leader successful Azerbaijan successful 2022. In different lawsuit successful 2025, Georgian national Polad Omarov was indicted successful national tribunal successful New York City and sentenced to 25 years successful situation for attempting to assassinate salient Iranian activistic Masih Alinejad, a vocal professional of nan Islamic Republic’s usage of unit against serene protesters.

Georgia erstwhile made important inroads to foster governmental and information ties pinch nan United States pursuing nan Rose Revolution successful 2003, becoming a bedrock of location information successful nan Black Sea region. After decades of Soviet rule, Georgia aligned itself pinch nan United States, contributing to missions successful Iraq and Afghanistan, and yet signed a Strategic Partnership Charter pinch nan United States successful 2009.

In this photograph taken from video released by Georgian Dream Party connected Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addresses aft nan parliamentary predetermination successful Tbilisi, Georgia. (Georgian Dream Party/AP)

Tbilisi's ties pinch Tehran person been expanded nether nan pro-Russia Georgian Dream statement that took powerfulness successful 2012. That bond, according to analysts, has tightened aft Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili vanished her six-year word successful agency successful 2024 and was replaced by Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was chosen arsenic her successor by a recently established electoral assemblage reportedly dominated by Georgian Dream supporters.

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Kavelashvili’s installment followed parliamentary elections successful Oct. 2024 marred by immoderate irregularities, according to the U.S. embassy successful Tbilisi, successful which nan Georgian Dream declared victory. 

A advertisement depicting Iran's ultimate leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed supra a road successful Tehran connected March 10, 2026. Iran marked nan assignment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to switch his begetter arsenic its ultimate leader connected March 9, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)

Leadership ties betwixt some countries person steadily grown since nan Georgian Dream's disputed 2024 parliamentary victory.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visited Iran successful May 2024 for nan ceremonial of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who died successful a chopper accident, and again successful July to be nan inauguration of Iran’s existent president, Masoud Pezeshkian wherever Iranian news agencies reported some leaders praised nan increasing narration betwixt nan 2 countries.

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Many Georgian companies are besides importing oil and petroleum products from Iran, a cardinal economical lifeline for nan authorities and its location warfare efforts, according to Georgian NGO Civic IDEA. In 2024, Iranian lipid export gross was astir $43 billion, which accounts for astir 57% of Iran’s full export revenue.

Iranian flags alert arsenic occurrence and fume from an Israeli onslaught connected Sharan Oil depot rise, pursuing Israeli strikes connected Iran, successful Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA)

According to Civic IDEA, betwixt 2022 and 2025, 72 companies registered successful Georgia imported Iranian lipid and petroleum, including 8 inked to donors of nan ruling Georgian Dream party, boosting Iran’s gross watercourse moreover while heavy sanctioned by Western nations.

"Georgia has go Iran’s superior sanctions-evasion hub …funneling difficult rate backmost to Tehran’s warfare instrumentality and nan IRGC done circumstantial schemes successful lipid imports," Nicholas Chkhaidze, nationalist information and strategical communications expert based successful Tbilisi, told Fox News Digital.

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Chkhaidze said these Georgian companies that import Iranian oil salary successful rate and tin bypass world banking sanctions. 

"The standard is massive, arsenic Tehran uses nan gross from these schemes to money its location operations," Chkhaidze claimed.

Telephone and email requests for remark sent to nan authorities of Georgia were not returned. A spokesperson for Iran's ngo to nan United Nations would not remark connected nan relations betwixt nan 2 countries.