Iranian Entity: Assa Corporation

According to the U.S. government, controlled by and acts for or on behalf of Iran's Bank Melli, and wholly owned by Assa Company Limited (see separate entity records); added (Assa Company Limited) to the Specially Designated National (SDN) list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on December 17, 2008, freezing its assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting transactions with U.S. parties, pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery systems.

Allegedly established (with Assa Company Limited) as shell companies to disguise Bank Melli's 40% ownership interest in the 650 Fifth Avenue Company - owner of the office building at 650 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, founded in 1989 as a partnership between the Mostazafan Foundation (now the Avali Foundation) and Bank Melli; since at least 1990, allegedly transferred rental income from 650 Fifth Avenue Company to Bank Melli through Assa Company Limited without the required U.S. government authorization; allegedly held a bank account into which the Fifth Avenue Company deposited approximately $17,083,000 between January 2000 and December 2007; allegedly followed Bank Melli's instructions concerning its business affairs and investment management, and reported its financial situation to Bank Melli regularly; targeted by a civil action filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on December 17, 2008, seeking the forfeiture of all right, title and interest of Assa Corporation, Assa Company Limited and Bank Melli in the 650 Fifth Avenue Company and all funds formerly on deposit at Citibank and JPMorgan Chase Bank under the name of Assa Corporation as proceeds of alleged violations of the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act and as property involved in alleged money laundering and attempted money laundering; in October 2008, had $1.9 million seized from its Citibank accounts and $1.2 million seized from its JP Morgan accounts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; sole employee in the United States, Mohammad Hassan Dehghani Tafti, a naturalized Iranian citizen; U.S. Tax ID No. 1368932.