Israeli tycoon embroiled in Iran scandal dead

Israeli businessman Sammy Ofer, whose company Ofer Brothers is embroiled in a scandal over illegal trade with Iran, was found dead at his Tel Aviv home on Friday, media reports said. He was 89. Ofer, a shipping magnate who was one of the founders of the Ofer Brothers Group, died early on Friday of a "serious illness," Israeli public radio said, without giving further details. Israel police could not immediately confirm details about how he died. Ofer Brothers Group is a major international shipping firm which is currently under investigation after it was blacklisted by Washington last week for trade with Tehran. According to the US State Department, Ofer Brothers and its alleged subsidiary Tanker Pacific were involved in selling a tanker to an Iranian firm under sanctions last September. Ofer Brothers Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying it had no ties to Tanker Pacific and that the State Department had made an "unfortunate mistake."