US sanctions Portuguese firm over Iran helicopter case
A Portuguese company has been sanctioned by the US after being identified in an FBI investigation into alleged helicopter sales to Iran, raising compliance risks for cross-border business.
Portuguese company Business United and its owner, António Mira, have been sanctioned by the United States after the FBI identified the firm as an alleged intermediary in operations involving helicopters and parts destined for Iran’s Pasargad Helicopter Company.
The US measures freeze assets and bar any transactions with US citizens or companies. The investigation also points to a wider network involving Sweden, Germany, Uruguay and Turkey.
The case also touches Miguel Frasquilho, the former head of Portugal’s trade and investment agency AICEP and former chairman of TAP. Público newspaper reports that he had been linked to Business United, although the US documents do not assign him responsibility for the acts under investigation.
In comments cited by Público, Frasquilho said he was never a partner in the company and held no equity stake. He said he had “absolutely nothing to do” with any helicopter or aircraft component trading operations, adding that he only began an informal, unpaid and non-executive collaboration in 2023, limited to institutional contacts such as meetings with chambers of commerce and embassies in Portugal.
Originally published at Eco.pt
