Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker slams ‘misleading narrative’ behind The Hill article on Georgia and Iran

Nino Tsilosani, the vice speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, has strongly condemned a recent article published by the American media outlet The Hill, titled “Georgia is becoming Iran’s sanctions evasion hub”, labeling it as dangerous disinformation.

In her remarks, Tsilosani stressed that the spread of such claims poses a significant risk to Georgia’s national security given the current “complex geopolitical situation”.

Tsilosani said the allegations that sanctioned Iranian companies are operating in Georgia are based on what she called a “misleading narrative” stemming from an article by Tinatin Khidasheli, which she claimed had been financially supported in connection with Taiwan-related initiatives. She also alleged that the narrative had been further circulated by Eka Gigauri, head of the Georgian branch of Transparency International.

“The spread of this disinformation, which concerns the alleged operation of sanctioned Iranian companies in Georgia, is based on an article by Tinatin Khidasheli funded in connection with Taiwan. It has been further circulated by a prominent, high-ranking agent, Eka Gigauri. Most importantly, the article was published in the foreign outlet The Hill, which, according to FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] filings, is funded by lobbying money from the United National Movement”, the vice speaker said.

“This is complete disinformation. It aims, on the one hand, to discredit Georgia; on the other, to carry out their own malicious agenda; and thirdly, it represents a real threat that, in this extremely difficult geopolitical situation, Georgia might somehow become part of these flames of conflict”, she concluded.

The article in question was penned by Keti Korkia, an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Russia Program. Georgian government officials have pointed out that the piece relies on personal opinions rather than concrete evidence or documented violations of international sanctions.

According to official statistics, trade between Georgia and Iran remains limited. In 2025, imports from Iran accounted for 1.36% of Georgia’s total imports, while exports to Iran made up 0.35% of total exports.