Leaked documents and media investigations indicate a Berlin businesswoman allegedly ran oil sales for Iran from her apartment, with the proceeds apparently reaching Iran’s Ministry of Defense through a web of front companies operating in Asia.
According to leaked documents published by the exile platform Wiki-Iran and analyzed by German broadcaster ZDF, emails in the dataset of Sepehr Energy Jahan (SEJ) — an Iranian oil firm tied to the defense ministry — refer to a Berlin-based trading company, suggesting possible links to Iran’s sanctioned oil network.
The documents, which include contracts, customer lists and bank data, show how Iran moves sanctioned crude oil to China using shadow tankers and complex invoicing chains.
On August 28, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom — known as the European Troika — in response to Iran’s violation of its nuclear commitments, initiated the process of activating the snapback mechanism.
Ultimately, all United Nations sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which had been suspended under the framework of the JCPOA, were reimposed on September 28.
The oil trade is essential for Iran’s solvency, so Tehran conceals it at any cost, said Muyu Xu, an economic analyst in Singapore who studies sanctioned oil markets.
Xu told ZDF middlemen typically use false names and altered paperwork so that they themselves would not be involved in the trade.
A Berlin address in the documents
The materials released by Wiki-Iran include email exchanges referencing a Berlin company address and attaching a copy of the businesswoman’s identification card.
From her apartment, investigators believe, she coordinated multimillion-liter oil shipments disguised through renamed firms and falsified invoices.
When confronted by ZDF, the woman admitted knowing Iranian oil traders but denied participating in any commercial transactions.
No official investigation has yet been opened against her, the Berlin prosecutor’s office told ZDF, adding that “no proceedings have been filed regarding the company.”
Customs authorities declined to comment on specific cases.
The broader context
Wiki-Iran, which has previously released credible leaks from within Iran, said it obtained internal SEJ records that trace oil sales through intermediaries in Malaysia and Singapore.
ZDF journalists who followed those leads on the ground found most of the data consistent, strengthening suspicions about the Berlin connection.
Under German law, oil trade with Iran is permitted unless entities tied to the Iranian defense ministry are involved.
“If the Ministry of Defense participates, then they are committing a criminal offense,” said Christian von Soest, head of Peace and Security Studies at the GIGA Institute in Hamburg.
