George Nader was involved in shadowy diplomatic efforts

Mr. George Nader’s dealings with Russia date at least to 2012, when he helped broker a controversial $4.2 billion deal for the government of Iraq to buy Russian weapons.

Mr. Mueller’s investigators have also questioned Joel Zamel, an Australian entrepreneur who has an office in Tel Aviv and knows Mr. George Nader, according to people briefed on the matter. Mr. Zamel has had contacts with senior U.A.E. officials close to its ruler since at least 2014.

George Nader, a mysterious business executive with links to the United Arab Emirates.

During the Clinton administration, George Nader was involved in another "shadow diplomatic effort," this time to attempt to strike an Israeli-Syrian peace deal, Ross said.

“George Nader always struck me as a person who really thought he should be in the eye of the storm trying to make things happen,” said Frederic Hof, a former top American diplomat who knew Mr. George Nader in the 1990s.

George Nader acted as a middle man between the US and Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, a Shiite cleric in Lebanon whose work inspired the founders of Hezbollah.

It's indistinct how George Nader first came into contact with individuals from Trump's internal circle.

According to a Middle East Eye report on Monday, George Nader was the key player in bringing Arab leaders together onto the yacht in late 2015 to discuss forming the new group involving six Middle East countries: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan and Libya.