--- born: 1935-07-25 category: Key Figures created: 2024-04-25 died: 2017-06-06 location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia relations: - fn: 1 role: co-intermediaries in the Iran arms sales type: partner_of with: '[[Manucher Ghorbanifar]]' - fn: 1 role: middleman and bridge financier for the arms sales to Iran type: participant_in with: '[[Iran-Contra Affair]]' - fn: 1 reverse: true role: arrested on charges of concealing funds, held three months, extradited start: 1988 type: investigated with: '[[Switzerland]]' - end: 1990 fn: 1 reverse: true role: racketeering and fraud; acquitted with Imelda Marcos type: prosecuted with: '[[Southern District of New York]]' - fn: 1 role: brother type: relative_of with: '[[Samira Khashoggi Fayed]]' - fn: 6 role: uncle type: relative_of with: '[[Jamal Khashoggi]]' - fn: 4 role: cousin type: relative_of with: '[[Hassan Yassin]]' summary: Adnan Khashoggi (1935-2017) was a Saudi arms dealer and Iran-Contra middleman whose arms sales to Iran were bridge-financed through BCCI and who was named as a PROMIS software broker in 1985. tags: - Person - IranContra - PROMIS - ArmsDealer - BCCI updated: 2026-09-25 --- [Adnan Khashoggi](/people/adnan-khashoggi/) (25 July 1935 – 6 June 2017) was an international arms merchant and a factotum for the House of Saud. He was considered the richest man in the world in the 1980s. Khashoggi covered his financial tracks by establishing front companies in [Switzerland](/places/switzerland/) and [Liechtenstein](/places/liechtenstein/) to handle his commissions. He also developed contacts with notable figures such as [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) officers [James H. Critchfield](/people/james-h-critchfield/) and [Kim Roosevelt](/people/kim-roosevelt/), and U.S. businessman Bebe Rebozo, a close associate of former U.S. President [Richard Nixon](/people/richard-nixon/).[^1] Khashoggi's sister, [Samira Khashoggi Fayed](/people/samira-khashoggi-fayed/), was the mother of [Dodi Fayed](/people/dodi-fayed/), who was romantically involved with [Diana, Princess of Wales](/people/diana-princess-of-wales/). Khashoggi's yacht, *Nabila*, was the largest in the world at the time and was featured in the James Bond film *Never Say Never Again*.[^1] ### Involvement in Iran-Contra Affair and PROMIS Scandal Khashoggi was implicated in the [Iran-Contra Affair](/events/iran-contra-affair/) as a key middleman in the arms-for-hostages exchange, working alongside Iranian arms dealer [Manucher Ghorbanifar](/people/manucher-ghorbanifar/). He was found to have borrowed money for these arms purchases from the now-bankrupt financial institution, the [BCCI](/organizations/bank-of-credit-and-commerce-international/), with [Saudi](/places/saudi-arabia/) and U.S. backing.[^1] BCCI helped Adnan Khashoggi finance the sale of arms to [Iran](/places/iran/) as a part of the [Reagan Administration](/people/ronald-reagan/)'s Iran-Contra effort.[^2] Khashoggi participated in five of the deals for the [United States](/places/united-states/), and BCCI provided the bridge financing through [Israel](/places/israel/) to Iran.[^3] He was also involved in brokering the transaction of [PROMIS](/programs/promis/) software to an Arab Sheik for resale and general distribution. He was mentioned in a document dated May 16, 1985, along with Manucher Ghorbanifar and [Richard Armitage](/people/richard-armitage/), as individuals who would broker this transaction. [William Bradford Reynolds](/people/william-bradford-reynolds/) independently remembered Armitage, Khashoggi, and Ghorbanifar working together on PROMIS.[^1] ### Legal Troubles In 1988, Khashoggi was arrested in Switzerland, accused of concealing funds. He was held for three months and then extradited to the United States, where he was released on bail and subsequently acquitted. In 1990, a U.S. federal jury in Manhattan acquitted Khashoggi and [Imelda Marcos](/people/imelda-marcos/), widow of the exiled Philippine President [Ferdinand Marcos](/people/ferdinand-marcos/), of racketeering and fraud.[^1] ### Connections His cousin, [Hassan Yassin](/people/hassan-yassin/), was described as a close business associate of [Kamal Adham](/people/kamal-adham/).[^4] ### Death and the Khashoggi Name in the Epstein Library Khashoggi died in London on June 6, 2017, aged 81, after suffering from Parkinson's disease. His family's statement said he had "combined commercial acumen with an over-riding loyalty to his country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His work always furthered the interests of his country."[^5] His nephew, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.[^6] In the days after Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance his name circulated among [Jeffrey Epstein](/people/jeffrey-epstein/)'s correspondents. On October 12, 2018 Epstein's accountant, [Richard Kahn](/people/richard-kahn/), sent him a *New York Post* report that Richard Branson had halted a project with Saudi Arabia over the disappearance.[^7] On October 13 the former UN envoy [Terje Rød-Larsen](/people/terje-rød-larsen/) forwarded him [Elliott Abrams](/people/elliott-abrams/)'s *[Washington Post](/organizations/washington-post/)* column "Why Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance will haunt the Saudi government."[^8] On October 15 the author [Edward Jay Epstein](/people/edward-jay-epstein/) sent him a *Federalist* article, "10 Questions To Answer About Khashoggi Before Buying The Narrative."[^9] On November 17, 2018 a correspondent sent Epstein the *Washington Post* report "CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi's assassination" with the question "What does that mean ?"; Epstein replied, "not good."[^10] On December 5, 2018 Epstein sent a correspondent listed as "Jabor Y." a link to a report on Senator Lindsey Graham's criticism of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing.[^11] On February 5, 2020 an unsolicited message titled "Khashoggi connects to Epstein," which referred to the Khashoggi yacht *Nabila*, reached the [U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York](/organizations/us-attorneys-office-for-the-southern-district-of-new-york/); it was forwarded internally with the note "I am passing this on" and its receipt was acknowledged. Its claims were not corroborated.[^12] No document located in the [Epstein Library](/concepts/epstein-files/) records contact between Epstein and Adnan Khashoggi. [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. [^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 12. [^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 387. [^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 352. [^5]: "Family says arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi dies at 81." *Associated Press,* via *Fox News,* June 6, 2017. https://www.foxnews.com/world/family-says-arms-dealer-adnan-khashoggi-dies-at-81 [^6]: "Jamal Khashoggi: A Profile." *Voice of America,* October 11, 2018 (updated October 19, 2018). https://www.voanews.com/a/who-is-jamal-khashoggi/4610403.html [^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02619942, DataSet 11, email from Richard Kahn to Jeffrey Epstein, October 12, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02619942.pdf [^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01019780, DataSet 9, email from Terje Rod-Larsen to Jeffrey Epstein, October 13, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01019780.pdf [^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02619510, DataSet 11, email from Edward Epstein to Jeffrey Epstein, October 15, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02619510.pdf [^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02614545, DataSet 11, email to jeevacation@gmail.com, November 17, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02614545.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02617007, DataSet 11, reply chain, November 17, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02617007.pdf [^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02611297, DataSet 11, email from jeevacation@gmail.com to "Jabor Y.," December 5, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02611297.pdf [^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00104025, DataSet 9, internal U.S. Attorney's Office (SDNY) forwarding chain, "Khashoggi connects to Epstein," February 5-6, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00104025.pdf