Adnan Khashoggi

Adnan Khashoggi (1935–2017) was a Saudi Arabian businessman and arms dealer known for brokering international arms deals and cultivating ties with political leaders.

Connect

Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud: A Saudi prince who served as minister of defense and aviation for nearly five decades. As defense minister, he was a central Saudi contact in the arms business Khashoggi brokered.
Iran-Contra affair: A U.S. political scandal involving secret arms sales to Iran and the diversion of proceeds to Nicaraguan rebels. Khashoggi helped finance the Iranian arms purchases at the center of the scandal.
Arms industry: The businesses and institutions involved in developing, producing, and selling military equipment. Khashoggi operated between arms manufacturers, governments, and buyers in this wider industry.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: A 1977 U.S. law prohibiting bribery of foreign officials by certain businesses and requiring accounting controls. Its enforcement reshaped scrutiny of commissions and payments linked to overseas contracts.
Basil al-Rahim: A financier and arms dealer associated with international arms trading and political networks. His career offers a point of comparison with Khashoggi’s role as an intermediary.
Iran–United States arms transactions: Covert arms sales to Iran by U.S. officials and intermediaries during the 1980s. These transactions brought Khashoggi into contact with officials and intermediaries on multiple sides.
Arms trade: The international exchange of weapons and military equipment between governments and other buyers. His brokerage depended on the cross-border market for military equipment.
United States Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition: A U.S. Senate committee that investigated the Iran-Contra affair in 1987. Its hearings examined the covert arms sales and financial arrangements involving Khashoggi.
Ronald Reagan: The 40th president of the United States, serving from 1981 to 1989. His administration’s Iran-Contra affair brought Khashoggi into a major arms-and-politics investigation.
Lockheed bribery scandals: International bribery controversies arising from Lockheed aircraft sales in the 1970s. The scandals illustrate how commissions and political influence could surround major arms contracts.