ALLEGATIONS THAT IRAN IS OBTAINING ITEMS FOR

S E C R E T ABU DHABI 003271

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP AND NP/CBM
DUBAI FOR CG AND FCS
USDOC FOR BIS/AS/EE and INTEL DIV DIR
USDOC FOR 3131/CS/OIO/ANESA
ROME FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: DECL:07/13/08
TAGS: BEXP ETRD ETTC TC
SUBJECT: ALLEGATIONS THAT IRAN IS OBTAINING ITEMS FOR
USE IN MISSILE PROGRAM



1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY A/DCM KATHERINE VAN DE VATE FOR
REASON 1.5(E).


2. (S) Summary and action request: The local agent for
Trimble Navigation has alleged that the Trimble
offices in the Jebel Ali Free Port have provided GPS
equipment to Iran and will provide digital levelers to
Iran for use in leveling missile platforms. (Note:
Further details are being provided to DOC septel for
investigative purposes. End Note.) We understand
that the levelers are of German manufacture and may be
sourced from Germany. We would appreciate
Department's guidance on how to proceed. Department
may want to approach the German government for
information on this sale and to attempt to stop the
shipment if required. If shipment is enroute and you
wish us to try and stop it, post can work with Dubai
customs to ask them to hold it at the Jebel Ali Free
Port. End summary and action request.


3. (S) On July 12, 2003, Commoff met with Mohammed
Hussein Belal, owner of Mohammed Belal Trading, Dubai,
UAE. Mr. Belal had previously sent a fax to the
Commercial Office in the Consulate in Dubai alleging
that the Jebel Ali office of Trimble Navigation,
headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, was selling equipment,
including GPS equipment to Iran. He alleges that some
of the equipment is destined for the Iranian missile
program.


4. (S) Belal explained that he is the agent for
Trimble surveying equipment in the UAE. He has a
business acquaintance by the name of Mehdi Boroumand,
who works (or worked) for Al-Danoob Electronics Co.,
Dubai, who recently contacted him to supply Trimble
equipment to Iran. Belal informed Mehdi that he had
been specifically instructed by Trimble that he could
not sell Trimble products to Iran. Mehdi told him
that Al-Danoob had already purchased products from
Trimble's office in Jebel Ali for re-export to Iran.
Mehdi said Trimble was charging exorbitant prices and
hoped to get better prices from Belal. (Belal
confirmed that the prices Trimble had charged in a
previous sale to Al Danoob were indeed higher than his
own.) Mehdi claimed that Trimble personnel in their
Jebel Ali office, both British, knew that the end-
destination of the equipment was Iran.


5. (S) Mehdi provided Comoff with invoices and other
information to demonstrate prior Trimble sales to
Iran. In addition, he provided, by e-mail, copies of
a proforma invoice and letter of credit for the
purchase of ten Trimble digital levelers (DiNi) model
12 for re-export to the National Cartographic Center
in Tehran. In a separate email, Mehdi alleged that
the digital levelers are for use by the Iranian
military for the purpose of leveling missile
platforms.


6. (S) The DiNi 12 digital levelers and accessories
are made in Germany and may be delivered from Trimble
Gmbh rather than Trimble USA. The order for these
products is dated January 11, 2003. The letter of
credit is from the National Cartographic Center of
Iran, Meraj Ave, Azadi Square, PO Box 13125-1364,
Tehran, Iran, (Ph 6000031-7 Fax 60001395) and is for
the benefit of Al Danoob Electronics Co. LLC, PO Box
56331, Dubai. The LC was opened on 4/24/03 in the
amount of $139,705 and will expire 11/24/03.


7. (S) Belal said he believes the commodities for Al
Danoob would be delivered directly to Al Danoob, not
to Trimble's offices in Jebel Ali.

WAHBA