Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions
Published . Updated .
An international investigation reveals a secret network of over 5,000 military and financial entities linked to Iran's Ministry of Defense, enabling Tehran to import explosives and missile components worth at least $2 bi…
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-3.0% 30d
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story.
- XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF-6.6% 30d
SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story.
- USO United States Oil Fund+13.9% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “iranian” (oil) in this story.
- BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF-3.3% 17d
Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “iranian” (tanker shipping) in this story.
- LMT Lockheed Martin+19.0% 30d
Lockheed Martin (guided missiles and space vehicles and parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story.
- RTX Rtx+2.3% 11d
Rtx (aircraft engines and engine parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story.
- NOC Northrop Grumman+5.9% 30d
Northrop Grumman (search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical sys): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story.
- GD General Dynamics+5.3% 30d
General Dynamics (ship and boat building and repairing): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITANo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XARNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| USO | -1.54% | -1.29% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| BWETNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LMT | -0.27% | -1.10% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| RTX | -1.19% | -1.88% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| NOCNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GDNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
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Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions صحيفة سبق الإلكترونية
Source: 블루밍비트
Price since this story was published: IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin (LMT) | three days earlier | -1.10% | final price |
| Lockheed Martin (LMT) | five days earlier | -0.27% | final price |
| Rtx (RTX) | three days earlier | -1.88% | final price |
| Rtx (RTX) | five days earlier | -1.19% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | three days earlier | -1.29% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | five days earlier | -1.54% | final price |
Congressional trades in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 39 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 39 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 17 Sep 2026. That is 45 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 14 Oct 2026. That is 18 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) (jointly held), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 62 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
Companies that tend to gain
- LMT Lockheed Martin
In “Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions,” Lockheed Martin (LMT) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Lockheed Martin (guided missiles and space vehicles and parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story
No up or down call on file
- ITA IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 1 Nov 2026 story “Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions.” Reason on file: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story
- XAR Spdr Series Trust
For “Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions,” Spdr Series Trust (XAR) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story
- USO United States Oil Fund
In “Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions,” United States Oil Fund (USO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “iranian” (oil) in this story
- BWET Amplify Commodity Trust
Amplify Commodity Trust (BWET) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 1 Nov 2026 story “Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions.” Reason on file: Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “iranian” (tanker shipping) in this story
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
On 1 Nov 2026, “Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions” is the story that connects IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) to this story.
The link for IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is this: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story
Spdr Series Trust (XAR) is here too. Its reason reads: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “weapons” (defense) in this story
Dates in the story, and the IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) price range
ITA traded between 197.59 and 215.76 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 209.72. USO traded between 141.82 and 171.80 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 168.83. XAR traded between 210.89 and 237.55 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 227.38.
What the saved facts support for IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
46 out of 100
“Secret Iranian Network of 5,000 Entities Defies Sanctions to Secure Weapons and Explosives Worth Billions” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 8 linked companies.