A US court has convicted an Iranian of buying sensitive military equipment for Iran

 

A US court has convicted an Iranian of buying sensitive military equipment for Iran

A 39-year-old Iranian citizen living in the United Arab Emirates and Germany named Mehrdad Ansari has been convicted of plotting to obtain sensitive military equipment for shipment to Iran, the US Department of Justice said Friday. He was found guilty under US sanctions against Tehran.

The statement said the components have a dual military and civilian use and could be used in the construction of nuclear weapons, guidance, and missile development, secure tactical radio communications, electronic offensive warfare, electronic sabotage operations (causing radio disruption), the statement said. Used radar and reconnaissance systems.

According to documents presented to the court during the trial, he and his accomplices - Suzanne Yip, a citizen of Taiwan, and Mehrdad Foumani, an Iranian citizen - tried to deliver the cargo to the Iranians from the United States through Ansari companies in Dubai.

From October 9, 2007 to June 15, 2011, Yip and Foumani received or attempted to deliver more than 105,000 pieces from various companies around the world. The value of these pieces is estimated at $ 2,630,800 and they were purchased with more than 1,250 financial transactions.

They had 599 financial transactions with 63 different US companies, without informing them that they intended to ship the purchased goods to Iran, or obtain the necessary permits from the US government to ship them to Iran.

Mehrdad Ansari could face up to 20 years in prison for plotting to violate US sanctions against Iran, up to five years in prison for financial transfer fraud, up to five years for defrauding the US Treasury Department, and up to five years for making false statements. Is.

His sentence is scheduled to be issued on September 1, 2021.