Reform UK Donor Linked to Iranian State-Affiliated Foundation

A significant donor to the Reform UK party, Sasan Ghandehari, maintained business ties with a state-linked Iranian religious foundation between 2013 and 2016. Legal documentation indicates that Ghandehari’s investment vehicle, HP Trust, held a 49% stake in a telecommunications joint venture alongside Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), a foundation under the authority of Iran’s supreme leader.

AQR was later sanctioned by the United States in 2021 for its role in managing assets for the Iranian government and senior officials. The joint venture involved the supply and construction of fibre-optic infrastructure within Iran, a sector identified by security analysts as inherently difficult to navigate without the endorsement of the country's core leadership.

Additional records show that another Reform UK donor, John Richard Simpson, assumed control of a Ghandehari-linked entity, Orico General Trading, following the dissolution of the joint venture in 2016. Representatives for Ghandehari maintain that the business activities were intended to facilitate political change through increased information access and that the foundation was considered a viable partner at the time.