Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores Al Ustad Special Kabab, a long-established Iranian eating place in Dubai's Old Town. Its clients include the inner circle of Crown Prince "Fazza", which makes it a favourite meeting place for diplomats, senior civil servants and businessmen looking for direct contact with the emirate's future ruler... and leading Iranians.
A few paces from Bank Melli and Bank Saderat, the two Iranian public banks still operating in Dubai despite US Treasury sanctions, the Al Ustad Special Kabab restaurant attracts visiting and resident Iranian businessmen, as well as eminent American diplomats like newly retired consul general Philip Frayne and his late predecessor Paul R. Malik before him. The inexpensive restaurant, which is owned by a family originally from southern Iran, also attracts members of the entourage of Crown Prince Hamdan
