Iranian-born Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab received his country’s top exporter award June 21 from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), a pro-government business group. Zarrab received the award in the field of jewelry on behalf of his company, Volgam Gida. In the general exporters’ list, Volgam stood 13th — no mean feat for a company that started only a few years ago.

The award and Zarrab’s case have interesting implications for domestic Turkish politics, Turkish-Iranian relations and the talks over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Until late 2013, Turks knew Zarrab (identified as “Riza Sarraf” in Turkey) simply as a businessman and the husband of famous singer Ebru Gundes. Few people cared about his gold export business from Turkey to Iran and its critical role in undermining Western sanctions against Tehran’s nuclear program. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and Recep Tayyip Erdogan were only too happy to boost export figures and purchase cheap oil and natural gas from Iran.

Then came the Fethullah Gulen-AKP fight and the “17-25 December corruption probe." Pro-Gulen policemen and prosecutors who ran the investigation accused Zarrab of bribing prominent members of the ruling AKP government. Zarrab found himself in police custody — along with the sons of three Cabinet ministers. “Gas for gold” trade between Turkey and Iran, which one Al-Monitor article placed at $10 billion, became public knowledge. Another $14 billion allegedly got “lost” in transaction. Some Turkish media outlets put the total “undocumented trade” between Turkey and Iran at $90 billion in 2010-2013.