Summary
- Nearly 13,000 Iranian companies are registered in Georgia, with many linked to a few addresses, raising concerns about sanctions evasion.
- Iranian firms reportedly use Georgia as a transit point to bypass international sanctions, with some of the companies linked to Iran's armed forces.
- Trade between Georgia and Iran has grown, and Iran now supplies a significant share of Georgia’s domestic market for some products, including dates and raisins.
- Thousands of Iranian businesses in Georgia are registered to only a handful of addresses, often with no physical operations.
Nearly 13,000 Iranian companies are registered in Georgia -- to only a handful of addresses -- raising concerns that Tehran could be using the South Caucasus country to skirt international sanctions.
The Iranian businesses listed in Georgia are involved in everything from construction and logistics to hospitality and even night clubs, according to public records seen by RFE/RL’s Georgian Service.
The number of Iranian companies registered in Georgia has surged over the past decade, coinciding with the imposition of international sanctions on the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear program.
The measures restrict foreign individuals, companies and governments from sending or receiving funds from Iran. Violators can be subject to stiff penalties and even criminal prosecution.
In July, a Georgian NGO, Civic IDEA, released an investigation in which it accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of allowing Iranian businesses -- some linked with Iran’s armed forces -- to use Georgia as a “strategic transit point” to bypass international sanctions and funnel money back to Tehran.
The Georgian authorities did not respond to RFE/RL’s request for comment.
Trade, Sanctions, And Georgia's Appeal
As of June 2025, more than 12,800 Iranian businesses were registered in Georgia, according to public records. Nearly all of them are fully Iranian owned. The exact number of Iranian companies still operating in Georgia is unclear.
Iranian companies became active in Georgia starting around 2009. There was a surge in the number of registrations of Iranian companies in Georgia from 2012 and 2019, overlapping with the implementation of tough international sanctions on Tehran.
At the time, media reports linked some of the Iranian companies to the US-designated Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) -- a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces that plays a significant role in the economy -- suggesting these businesses offered Tehran indirect access to Western markets.
Georgia tightened banking rules for Iranians and temporarily suspended visa-free travel. But Iranian investment in Georgia picked up again after the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, particularly in real estate, transport, and construction.
Washington’s decision to reimpose crippling sanctions on Tehran in 2018 did little to discourage Iranian investment in Georgia.
Iranian investment has coincided with growing trade between Tbilisi and Tehran.
Between 2022 and 2024, bilateral trade rose by 23 percent. Imports from Iran totaled about $30 million in 2024, mostly agricultural and food products. In certain sectors, Iran holds a significant share of Georgia’s domestic supply, accounting for 13 percent of butter imports, 45 percent of raisins, and 85 percent of dates.
Iranian oil and petrochemical products nearly tripled in import value from $683,000 in 2020 to around $2 million in 2024. There doesn't seem to have been any slowdown in these imports this year, despite a warning from US Donald Trump in May that any country trading in Iranian petroleum would face secondary sanctions.
Publicly available Iranian trade websites and consultancies openly encourage businessmen to register companies in Georgia, especially near ports, to cut costs and reroute exports. Some even describe strategies for rebranding Iranian goods as “Made in Georgia” before shipping them to Western markets.
Suspicious Addresses
The thousands of Iranian businesses in Georgia are registered to only a handful of addresses, including the capital, Tbilisi, as well as in several remote villages, according to official records.
Nearly 700 Iranian companies are registered at a single residential building in Tbilisi with no trace of on site activity. The listed activities of the businesses range from logistics and tourism to jewelry, livestock, and information technology, although no physical evidence of these companies exists.
A similar pattern appears in Dunta, a remote village of some 100 residents in western Georgia, where roughly 800 Iranian firms are registered. Many of the companies are involved in cargo transport, with some obtaining international freight permits from the authorities, according to public records.
Meanwhile, over 800 Iranian companies are registered in Untsa, a village of some 300 people in southwestern Georgia. Public records indicate that addresses in the village have been used by Russian migrants seeking to benefit from Georgia’s favorable tax regime.
Iranian firms have also secured Georgian state contracts.
Qafrina LLC, registered in 2018 and owned by Iranian national Farzad Nouri, sold CCTV systems to the National Bank of Georgia, courts in the western city of Kutaisi, and Tbilisi City Hall, according to tender records.
Another Iranian-owned company, Geo Tech, supplied hygiene products -- including toilet paper -- to the Defense Ministry, Georgian Railways, Tbilisi’s transport company, and several public institutions.