An Edmonton man operating under the name Sal Ghafouri has received more than $2 million in Canadian federal and provincial government contracts, despite a long-running intelligence investigation into his alleged past work developing weapons systems for Iran, according to documents obtained by Global News.
Records show the man’s actual identity is Mohammad Reza Ghafouri Fard, son of Hassan Ghafouri Fard, who served as vice president of Iran. According to a declassified Canadian Security Intelligence Service report, Ghafouri was “involved in the research and development of Iranian military technologies” before immigrating to Canada in 2013.
Before leaving Iran, Ghafouri allegedly helped develop a guided anti-aircraft missile system and a jamming tool described as intended to “confront American aircraft,” working on behalf of the Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The CSIS report also links him to a company called Rabi Kosar, which developed missile defense and electronic warfare systems for Iran.
Since settling in Alberta, Ghafouri founded two companies, the Melanite Group and the Radian Group Ltd. Both received contracts from Canadian government bodies including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Department of National Defence, and Correctional Service Canada. The Correctional Service Canada contract was worth roughly $100,000, and the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada awarded the companies a $380,000 contract in 2021. Public records show the contracts continued even after CSIS had flagged Ghafouri’s alleged background in Iranian weapons development.
Ghafouri is now seeking Canadian citizenship. In May, immigration officials notified him that proceedings had begun to deny his application on national security grounds. The Canada Border Services Agency had earlier moved to deport him but withdrew that case in November 2025, saying it could not use the evidence required to proceed.
Ghafouri is separately challenging the handling of his citizenship application in Federal Court, seeking between $5,000 and $25,000 in damages, and alleging that lengthy delays have caused hardship to his family.
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