Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters

(Redirected from Ghorb Nooh)

Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter (also spelled Khātam al-Anbiyā, Persian: قرارگاه سازندگی خاتم‌الانبیا; Qârargâh-he Sazandegi-ye Xatam alânbia, literally, "Seal of the Prophets") is an Iranian engineering firm controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The firm, also known as GHORB, is the IRGC's major engineering arm and one of Iran's largest contractors in industrial and development projects. Khatam al-Anbiya was created during the 1980–88 Iran–Iraq War to help rebuild the country, and has diversified over the years into companies dealing with mechanical engineering, energy, mining and defense.

Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter
Khatam Ghorb[citation needed]
Native name
خاتم‌الانبیا
Xatemalânubia
Company typePublic[citation needed]
IndustryEngineering
Founded11 February 1979; 45 years ago (1979-02-11)
Key people
Abdolreza Abed (Managing Director)
Number of employees
40,000 (estimate)[1]
ParentIRGC
Websitekhatam.com

The company and some of its subsidiaries are affected by UN sanctions.[2]

Foundation

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After the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88), the Iranian government encouraged the IRGC to bolster its budget through economic activities. To do so, the IRGC established a headquarters of self-sufficiency and a headquarters of reconstruction. In 1990, the headquarters of reconstruction became gharargah-he sazandegi-ye khatam alanbia, abbreviated Ghorb. In time, the firm became "one of Iran’s largest contractors in industrial and development projects, and today is considered the IRGC's major engineering arm."[3]

Business activities

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Khatam al-Anbia is a giant holding firm with control of more than 812 registered companies inside or outside Iran, and (as at 2012) the recipient of 1,700 government contracts.[4] It is said to have a workforce of 25,000 engineers and staff. Ten percent of the employees are IRGC members while the rest are contractors. According to the firm's website, the company has been awarded contracts in various construction fields "including dams; water diversion systems; highways; tunnels; buildings; heavy-duty structures; three-dimensional trusses; offshore construction; water supply systems; and water, gas, and oil main pipelines."[3]

Two of the most prominent Khatam subsidiaries are Sepasad and Hara; the former is currently constructing Line Seven of the Tehran Metro, while the latter directs tunnel construction and excavation operations throughout the country.[3]

On April 25, 2009, a consortium controlled by Khatam purchased a 51.18% controlling stake in Iran's naval-industrial giant SADRA.[5]

South Pars

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As part of the IRGC, Khatam al-Anbiya is intimately connected to Iran's oil and gas industry. The company has been awarded several phases of the South Pars gas field. In May 2010, the Iranian government awarded Khatam the rights to develop phases 13, 14, 22, 23 and 24 of South Pars.[6] On April 30, 2011, Iran's Oil Ministry awarded two no-tender contracts to Khatam to develop the Halgan and Sefid Baghoon gas fields in South Pars.[7]

Activities abroad

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Khatam base shipyard Bushehr

In May 2011, the German newspaper Die Welt reported that Iran is building intermediate-range missile launch pads for its Venezuelan allies on the Paraguaná Peninsula of Venezuela. Khatam al-Anbia is reported to be actively assisting on the project.[8] SADRA also made a contract to build a 120 ton tanker for Venezuela.[9][10][11]

Project highlights by province

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Sanctions

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United States

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On October 25, 2007, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Khatam to the Specially Designated National (SDN) list. Pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, this action freezes the company's assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits transactions with U.S. parties.[15]

European Union

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On June 24, 2008, the European Union listed Khatam as an entity linked to Iran's proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities or Iran's development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. With a few exceptions, EU member states are required to freeze all funds and economic resources owned, held or controlled by the Khatam, and must ensure that no funds or economic resources are made available to or for the listed company.[15]

United Nations

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United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929, adopted on June 9, 2010, targets Khatam as an entity "controlled, or acting on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."[16][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kenneth Katzman (6 February 2017), "Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies" (PDF), Congressional Research Service, Federation of American Scientists, p. 25, archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2017, retrieved 1 March 2017
  2. ^ "IRGC Campaign". UANI. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  3. ^ a b c Wehrey; et al. (January 2009). "The Rise of the Pasdaran: Assessing the Domestic Roles of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps". RAND. p. 60. Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  4. ^ Borger, Julian; Tait, Robert (15 February 2010). "The financial power of the Revolutionary Guards". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  5. ^ Ardalan Sayami (23 March 2010). "1388: Year of Militarization of Iran's Economy". Payvand News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  6. ^ "Iran awards Pars gas phases to Revolutionary Guards: report". AFP. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  7. ^ "Iran awards gas projects to Revolutionary Guard". AP. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.[dead link]
  8. ^ Benjamin Weinthal (17 May 2011). "'Die Welt': Iran building rocket bases in Venezuela". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  9. ^ "«خاتم» برای ونزوئلا نفتکش می‌سازد". روزنامه دنیای اقتصاد (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  10. ^ "ساخت نفتکش‌های ونزوئلا توسط قرارگاه سازندگی خاتم الانبیا". www.asriran.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  11. ^ "Iran exports domestically-made ship to Venezuela". Mehr News Agency. 2018-09-01. Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  12. ^ "ESCO Commits to Deliver 5K Tons of Rails for Chabahar-Zahedan Project". Financial Tribune. 2020-02-23. Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  13. ^ "ورود قرارگاه سازندگی خاتم‌الانبیاء ‌به ساماندهی ‌وضعیت فاضلاب اهواز و کارون‌/ 100 میلیون یورو اعتبار از صندوق توسعه ملی تخصیص یافت- اخبار خوزستان - اخبار استانها تسنیم - Tasnim". خبرگزاری تسنیم - Tasnim (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  14. ^ "Magiran | روزنامه دنیای اقتصاد (1399/08/18): «فولاد صنعت بناب» توسعه می یابد". www.magiran.com. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  15. ^ a b "Iranian Entity: Khatam ol Anbia Gharargah Sazandegi Nooh". Iran Watch. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  16. ^ "Security Council imposes additional sanctions on Iran, voting 12 in favour to 2 against, with 1 abstention". United Nations. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  17. ^ Benoît Faucon (16 July 2010). "Sanctioned Iran Group Pulls Out of Gas Project". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
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