VZCZCXRO5463
OO RUEHDE
DE RUEHC #8780/01 0582130
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 272114Z FEB 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI IMMEDIATE 3431
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 2460
INFO RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI IMMEDIATE 8396

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 018780 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN PARM PREL
SUBJECT: PRENOTIFICATION OF ADDITIONAL DESIGNATIONS OF 
IRANIAN ENTITIES UNDER E.O. 13382 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request.  Please see paragraph 3. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶2. (SBU) The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of 
Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) will, on Tuesday, March 3, 
announce the designations of 11 entities, affiliated with 
Iran's Bank Melli, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, 
"Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction 
Proliferators and Their Supporters."  Bank Melli was 
designated by the United States under E.O. 13382 in October 
2007, for providing financial services for Iranian front 
companies and entities engaged in proliferation activities. 
Two of the entities to be designated are located in U.K. 
territory (the Cayman Islands), and two are located in the 
United Arab Emirates.  We wish to pre-notify our allies of 
these designations. 
 
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OBJECTIVES/ACTION REQUEST 
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¶3. (SBU) Washington requests embassies pursue the following 
objectives with appropriate host government officials the 
afternoon of 2 March.  We are requesting late delivery so as 
to avoid any possible capital flight or notice to the media. 
 
--  Note that the United States will designate eleven 
entities affiliated with Iran's Bank Melli under E.O. 13382 
("Blocking the Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction 
Proliferators and their Supporters") on March 3, 2009. 
 
-- FOR EMBASSY ABU DHABI ONLY: Note that two of the entities 
to be designated are located in the UAE.  They are: 
 
1) MELLI INVESTMENT HOLDING INTERNATIONAL (a.k.a. "MEHR"), 
514, "Business Avenue" Building, Deira, PO Box 181878, Dubai, 
UAE, License Number: 107 
 
2) BMIIC INTERNATIONAL GENERAL TRADING LTD. (a.k.a. "BMIIGT", 
a.k.a. "BMIICGT", a.k.a. "BMIIC Trading UAE"), P.O. Box 
11567, Dubai, UAE; Deira, P.O. Box 181878, Dubai, UAE 
 
-- FOR EMBASSY LONDON ONLY: Note that two of the entities to 
be designated are located in the Cayman Islands. They are: 
 
1) MEHR CAYMAN LTD., Walker House, 87 Mary Street, George 
Town, Cayman Islands KY 1-9002, Cayman Islands 
 
2) FIRST PERSIAN INVESTMENT FUND (a.k.a. "FIRST PERSIA 
INVESTMENT FUND", a.k.a. "FPEF"), Walker House, 87 Mary 
Street, George Town, Cayman Islands KY, 1-9002, Cayman 
Islands; Clifton House, 75 Fort Street, PO Box 190, Grand 
Cayman KYI-II04, Cayman Islands; Rafi Alley, Vali Asr Avenue, 
Nader Alley, Tehran, 15116, Iran, PO Box 15875-3898 
 
-- Note that these entities are being designated because they 
are owned or controlled by or acting or purporting to act for 
or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Bank Melli Iran 
Investment Company (BMIIC).  The BMIIC is being designated 
because it is owned or controlled by Iran's Bank Melli. 
 
-- Convey that these designations are consistent with 
obligations in Paragraph 10 of UNSCR 1803, which calls upon 
all Member States to exercise vigilance over the activities 
of financial institutions in their territories with all banks 
domiciled in Iran, in particular with Bank Melli and Bank 
Saderat, and their branches and subsidiaries abroad, in order 
to avoid such activities contributing to proliferation 
sensitive nuclear activities, or to the development of 
nuclear weapon delivery systems, as referred to in resolution 
1737 (2006). 
 
-- Reiterate that these designations highlight the risks of 
doing business with Iranian commercial and financial 
institutions, and provide information that will help 
financial institutions in the U.S. and worldwide protect 
themselves from deceptive financial practices employed by 
Iranian entities like the BMIIC and its affiliates that 
support proliferation entities. 
 
-- Urge host governments, in accordance with UNSCR 1803 and 
consistent with national laws and regulations, to freeze the 
 
STATE 00018780  002 OF 002 
 
 
assets of persons or entities acting on the behalf of or at 
the direction of entities designated by the UN, as well as 
entities owned or controlled by them. 
 
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REPORTING DEADLINE 
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¶4. (U) Post should report results within seven business days 
of receipt of this cable.  Please slug replies for ISN, T, 
TREASURY, and NEA.  Please use the caption SIPDIS in all 
replies. 
 
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POINT OF CONTACT 
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¶5. (U) Washington point of contact for follow-up information 
is Jennifer Chalmers, ISN/CPI, (202) 647-9715. 
 
¶6. (U) Department thanks Post for its assistance. 
CLINTON