Bank Melli

Also Known As: 

Bank Melli Iran
Bmi
National Bank of Iran

Weapon Program: 

  • Military

Address: 

- Ferdowsi Avenue, Tehran, Iran
- Bank Melli Iran Central Depts, Ferdowsi Ave., Tehran, Iran
- Post Box 11365-123, Tehran, Iran
- Ferdowsi Avenue, Tehran 11354, Iran
- P.O. Box 11365-171, Tehran, Iran
- Nobel Ave. 14, Baku, Azerbaijan Republic (Baku Branch)
- 85 Salatin Askarova St., 370009 Baku, The Republic of Azerbaijan (Baku Branch)
- P.O. Box 2643, Sultanate of Oman (Muscat Branch)
- Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Sultanat of Oman (Muscat Branch)
- P.O. Box 5643, Ruwi, Muscat, Oman (Muscat Branch)
- Mossa Abdul Rehman Hassan Building, 238 Al Burj St., Ruwi, Muscat, Oman (Muscat Branch)
- Sami Sagar Building, Oman Street, Al-Nakheel, Ras-Al Khaimah, U.A.E. (Ras Al Khaimah Branch)
- Al Marash R/A , Hamad Bin Abdullah Street (Fujairah Branch)
- Post box no. 248 (Fujairah Branch)
- Al Borj Street, Sharjah U.A.E. (Sharjah Branch)
- B.P.O. Box 1888, Clock Tower, Industrial Road, Al-Ain Club Building in from Emertel Al
- Shaikha Maryam Building, Liwa Street, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. (Abu Dhabi Branch)
- Ahmed Seddiqui Building, Khalid Bin Walid St., Bur Dubai, U.A.E. (Bur Dubai Branch)
- Mohd-Habib Building, Al-Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai, Dubai, U.A.E. (Bur Dubai Branch)
- Post box no. 1894 (Dubai Main Branch, Dubai, Regional Office)
- 43 Ave., Montaigne, 75008 Paris, France (Paris Branch)
- Holzbrucke 2, 20459 Hamburg (Hamburg Branch)
- P.O. Box 112129, Hamburg, Germany (Hamburg Branch)
- Holzbruecke 2, 2000 Hamburg 11, Germany (Hamburg Branch)
- No. 111-27 Alley - 929 District - Arasat Street, Baghdad, Iraq (Baghdad Branch)

Phone: 

98 (21) 6649 7820, 98 21 33231

Fax: 

98 (21) 6646 1661

E-Mail: 

Entity Web Site: 

www.bmi.ir
www.bankmelli-iran.com
www.bankmelli.de (Hamburg Branch)
www.bmi.co.ae (Dubai Regional Office)

Provides financial support for entities engaged in Iran's nuclear and missile programs; Iran's largest bank; wholly owned by the government of Iran.

Named in U.N. Security Council resolution 1803 of March 3, 2008, as a bank domiciled in Iran, with respect to which (and its branches and subsidiaries abroad) financial institutions should "exercise vigilance" due to concerns that activities involving the bank could contribute to proliferation sensitive nuclear activities or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems.

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, provides banking services to entities involved in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, including those designated by the United Nations for their involvement in those programs; has facilitated numerous purchases of sensitive materials for Iran's nuclear and missile programs, by providing a range of financial services such as opening letters of credit and maintaining accounts; clients have included the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Qods Force, and entities controlled or owned by them, as well as Bank SepahDefense Industries Organization (DIO), and Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG).

In 2007 and 2008, was involved in transactions facilitated by the Bank of East Land with North Korea's Green Pine Associated Corporation, one of North Korea's primary arms dealers; facilitated the transfer of at least $100 million to the Qods Force from 2002 to 2006, requesting that its name be removed from financial transactions involving the IRGC, and taking care not to identify Bank Sepah in transactions after the latter was designated under U.N. Security Council resolution 1747.

Has reportedly been one of the primary banks used by Khatam al-Anbiya, an entity controlled by the IRGC; in 2007, reportedly facilitated a transaction for a shipment from North Korea consigned to Bank Sepah, as well as transactions from companies associated with Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO); in 2007, was also reportedly listed as the consignee for purchases for a company affiliated with Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG); has reportedly sent payments to European suppliers using First International Merchant (FIM) Bank of Malta as an intermediary.

Co-owns the 650 Fifth Avenue Company in New York, in cooperation with Alavi Foundation; in 1989, established two shell companies, Assa Corporation and Assa Company Limited, to disguise its ownership of 650 Fifth Avenue Company; until 2013, operated the company through the two shell companies and received rental income generated from it, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions Regulations.

Handles a large share of the Iranian government's foreign currency payments, and provides foreign exchange payment services; facilitates money transfers related to petrochemicals between Iran and Russia through its Moscow-based subsidiary Mir Business Bank C.J.S.C (Bank Melli Iran ZAO).

Subsidiaries include:

Arian Bank (Kabul, Afghanistan)
Mir Business Bank C.J.S.C (Moscow, Russia),
Melli Bank Plc (London, United Kingdom)
Future Bank (Bahrain)

Has overseas branches in the United Arab Emirates (Ras-al Khaimah, Al-Ain, Abu-Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, and Sharaj), Azerbaijan (Baku), Germany (Hamburg), Iraq (Baghdad and Basra), Oman (Muscat), and France (Paris).

Board members include Dr. Abdolnaser Hemmati (Chairman and CEO), Jamal Damghanian, Mohammad Reza Hossein Zadeh, Seyed Valliallah Fatemi Ardakani, Barat Karimi, and Gholamreza Panahi; established in 1928.

Swift Codes:

MELIIRTHXXX, MELIIRTHABN, MELIIRTHAHW, MELIIRTHAML, MELIIRTHARK, MELIIRTHARD, MELIIRTHAST, MELIIRTHBBL, MELIIRTHBND, MELIIRTHGOB, MELIIRTHANZ, MELIIRTHBIR, MELIIRTHBJN, MELIIRTHBRJ, MELIIRTHBSH, MELIIRTHCHB, MELIIRTHGHM, MELIIRTHGNB, MELIIRTHGOR, MELIIRTHHMN, MELIIRTHILM, MELIIRTHEHI, MELIIRTHFYZ, MELIIRTHIFN, MELIIRTHKFI, MELIIRTHKSI, MELIIRTHMSC, MELIIRTHJLF, MELIIRTHJSK, MELIIRTHKRJ, MELIIRTHKSN, MELIIRTHJIR, MELIIRTHKER, MELIIRTHKMN, MELIIRTHKHM, MELIIRTHKHO, MELIIRTHKIS, MELIIRTHLHJ, MELIIRTHMAR, MELIIRTHMHD, MELIIRTHRHN, MELIIRTHSJD, MELIIRTHMBD, MELIIRTHNEY, MELIIRTHNOS, MELIIRTHMDR, MELIIRTHORU, MELIIRTHQAS, MELIIRTHMVQ, MELIIRTHQZN, MELIIRTHAIC, MELIIRTHQSH, MELIIRTHQOM, MELIIRTHRSJ, MELIIRTHGOL, MELIIRTHRSH, MELIIRTHSBZ, MELIIRTHSNJ, MELIIRTHKFS, MELIIRTHSRI, MELIIRTHSVH, MELIIRTHSEM, MELIIRTHSHK, MELIIRTHKSR, MELIIRTHSHI, MELIIRTHSRJ, MELIIRTHSRT, MELIIRTHTBZ, MELIIRTHARM, MELIIRTHCID, MELIIRTHEKB, MELIIRTHESK, MELIIRTHIIA, MELIIRTHJKD, MELIIRTHKHD, MELIIRTHKSF, MELIIRTHMFA, MELIIRTHMHR, MELIIRTHMIR, MELIIRTHMKH, MELIIRTHNMM, MELIIRTHNVR, MELIIRTHOST, MELIIRTHPDR, MELIIRTHPLT, MELIIRTH060, MELIIRTH063, MELIIRTH068, MELIIRTH069, MELIIRTH075, MELIIRTH081, MELIIRTHSDT, MELIIRTH087, MELIIRTH090, MELIIRTH091, MELIIRTH093, MELIIRTH098, MELIIRTH102, MELIIRTH111, MELIIRTH119, MELIIRTH120, MELIIRTH137, MELIIRTH141, MELIIRTH142, MELIIRTH159, MELIIRTHTTK, MELIIRTH168, MELIIRTH169, MELIIRTH179, MELIIRTH183, MELIIRTHZBJ, MELIIRTH202, MELIIRTH203, MELIIRTH208, MELIIRTH212, MELIIRTH214, MELIIRTH215, MELIIRTH219, MELIIRTH220, MELIIRTH223, MELIIRTH225, MELIIRTH228, MELIIRTH230, MELIIRTH237, MELIIRTH302, MELIIRTH304, MELIIRTH342, MELIIRTH433, MELIIRTH444, MELIIRTH501, MELIIRTH526, MELIIRTH544, MELIIRTH546, MELIIRTH559, MELIIRTH721, MELIIRTH799, MELIIRTH817, MELIIRTH962, MELIIRTH965, MELIIRTH966, MELIIRTH974, MELIIRTH999, MELIIRTHAFR, MELIIRTHTIF, MELIIRTHIAD, MELIIRTHIOD, MELIIRTH064, MELIIRTHTNK, MELIIRTHYSJ, MELIIRTHGDR, MELIIRTHYAZ, MELIIRTHZHD, MELIIRTHKZN, MELIIRTHZNJ, MELIFRPP, MELIDEHH, MELIHKHH, MELIIQBA, MELIOMR, MELIAZ22, MELIAEADADH, MELIAEADALN, MELIAEADBR2, MELIAEAD, MELIAEADFUJ, MELIAEADRAK, and MELIAEADSHJ.

Sanctions

As part of the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran, added on November 5, 2018 to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), freezing its assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting transactions with U.S. parties, pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism; foreign parties facilitating transactions for the entity or otherwise assisting the entity are subject to U.S. sanctions; also designated pursuant to Executive Order 13599 and the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations; foreign financial institutions facilitating transactions for the entity may be prohibited from opening or maintaining correspondent or payable-through accounts in the United States.

Previously added to the SDN list on October 25, 2007, pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery systems; removed from the SDN list in January 2016 as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but identified as a part of the Government of Iran, prohibiting transactions with U.S. parties.

Listed by the European Union on June 23, 2008 as an entity linked to Iran's proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities or Iran's development of nuclear weapon delivery systems; removed from the E.U. list in January 2016 as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Mentioned Suspect Entities & Suppliers: 

Date Entered: 

August 27, 2008

Date Last Modified: 

December 10, 2018