The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in particular, plays a key role in Tehran's covert dealings. "An Iranian company or an Iranian businessman can buy a company in one of the UAE's free trade zones that is set up there for a transaction," Hans-Jakob Schindler, head of the Berlin-based think tank Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team. "It has a managing director, a board of directors, and is subject to regular auditing. It's a completely legal company, but after the transaction is completed, this 'overnight company' is dissolved."