US-Iran Dual Citizen Sentenced for Illegal Exports to Iran
Kambiz Attar Kashani, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Iran, was sentenced Feb. 9 to 30 months in prison for "conspiring to illegally export U.S. goods and technology to users in Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran, in violation of the International Economic Powers Act," DOJ announced. The Central Bank of Iran has supported designated terrorist organizations, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Qods Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to the U.S. government.
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From 2019 to 2021, Kashani and other co-conspirators used two United Arab Emirates-based front companies to illegally buy electronic goods and technology from various American tech companies for end users in Iran. The goods, which included "sophisticated, top-tier U.S. electronic equipment and software," were subject to U.S. export controls. Kashani "falsely" claimed to the U.S. companies that the UAE companies would be the ultimate end users, but the true final users were in Iran, DOJ said.
"Kashani conspired to illegally export U.S. goods and technology for the benefit of the Central Bank of Iran, a designated entity that materially supports known terrorist organizations,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said. "The Department remains vigilant against any efforts to circumvent our export control and sanctions laws, which exist to protect the security of the United States and its people."