January 3, 2010

Source:

Footage released (below — added in by Planet Iran editors) by the CIA shows a man conducting a clandestine arms deal in a Tbilisi, Georgia hotel, allegedly procuring parts of weapons and other military systems for use in Iran.

Unbeknownst to the man, the dealers he was talking to were in fact undercover Philadelphia-based agents.

According to an analyst for Channel 2, which aired the footage Sunday evening, the fake transaction in the hotel, which ended in the man’s arrest, may be a modus operandi of the Iranian regime, and there is no telling how many similar transactions the Iranians conclude successfully.

It was not clear when the “transaction” in question took place.

In the footage, Amir Hussein Ardebili is seen sitting in a hotel room with two other men, telling them, “They need 1,000 [pieces] of this kind… they are making a special radar… a phase array radar.”

When the men ask Ardebili, “Who will be the real customer?” he clearly answers, “The customer is Iran… I don’t have customers outside Iran.”

Ardebili tells the men Iran needs avionics systems for its aging fleet of F-4 jets and for its Hercules C-30 cargo planes.

He explains Iran needs the parts because, “If the US comes to war we should have… defenses [ready],” and promises “I can supply you with the money in two weeks.”

The men inquire how Ardebili was planning to pay them and he confirms the money would come from Iran.

Teheran has denied any connection to the man.

According to a Channel 2 analyst, the phase array radar discussed is supposed to complement the Russian S-300 aerial defense system Iran is attempting to procure (or, according to some analysts, has already procured) from Russia.

Ardebili was tried in Wilmington, Delaware, and sentenced to five years in prison.

Teheran has denied any connection to the man.