---
category: "Arms Dealers & Brokers"
tags:
  - Person
  - IranContra
  - Israel
  - Military
summary: "One of the Hashemi brothers, involved in secret arms sales to Iran and later became an informant for U.S. Customs."
updated: 2026-10-14
---

[[Jamshid Hashemi]] was one of the [[Hashemi brothers]], an [[Iran|Iranian]] living in the [[United States|West]]. He was involved in secret arms sales and negotiations concerning the American hostages in [[Tehran]].[^1]

Hashemi and his brothers made money selling small quantities of military equipment to Iran. He was later indicted under the [[Arms Export Control Act]] for illegal arms sales to Iran, but escaped the U.S. before apprehension. He subsequently agreed to become an informant for [[U.S. Customs|U.S. Customs]] against the Iranian exile community.[^1]

The report of the congressional Iran-Contra committees records that in May 1984 federal criminal charges were filed against [[Cyrus Hashemi]] and his brothers [[Reza Hashemi|Reza]] and Jamshid, among others, for alleged arms export control violations; that Cyrus arranged with the U.S. Customs Service to run a sting operation resulting in the April 22, 1986 indictment of 17 individuals in the Southern District of New York on charges of an illegal scheme to smuggle $2.5 billion in American-made weapons to Iran; and that until Cyrus's death in July 1986 he was to be the primary prosecution witness.[^2] The Second Circuit wrote that the arms in that case were destined for Cyrus, "a government agent pretending to be an Iranian buyer," and that the original indictment was returned in May 1986.[^3] Judge [[Leonard B. Sand]] wrote in 1987 that none of the arms deals charged was consummated and that Cyrus's negotiations with the defendants were tape recorded.[^4]

### Footnotes

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. Sheridan Square Press, 1992 (TrineDay reprint, 2015).
[^2]: Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, H. Rept. 100-433, S. Rept. 100-216 (Nov. 1987), ch. 9, note 13, p. 171. https://archive.org/details/reportofcongress87unit
[^3]: United States v. Evans, 844 F.2d 36 (2d Cir. 1988). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/504381/united-states-v-evans/
[^4]: United States v. Evans, 667 F. Supp. 974 (S.D.N.Y. 1987). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2158497/united-states-v-evans/