NEW YORK — A federal court in New York has sentenced an Iranian-American national to 30 months in prison for illegally exporting technology products to the Iranian government.
Kambiz Attar Kashani, 45, violated US sanctions on Iran and he willfully deceived US authorities and companies by exporting the products through front companies in the United Arab Emirates, noted the prosecutors.
Kashani and his accomplices are accused of having used two Emirati companies to send electronic and technological products manufactured by multiple American firms between 2019 and 2021. The products sent were then delivered to Iran, and in particular to the Bank of Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Kashani intentionally misled US authorities and firms, the prosecution noted. One of the companies was located in New York and another in Massachusetts.
Sophisticated electronic equipment and software would thus have been exported.
Prosecutors said Kashani acted “for the benefit of the Central Bank of Iran, a designated entity that provides material support to known terrorist organizations.”
The United States has sanctioned the Central Bank of Iran for supporting Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ al-Quds forces, both of which are blacklisted as terrorist groups.
U.S. attorney Breon Peace said “his plan undermined U.S. foreign policy and national security interests, and requires a substantial prison sentence for deterrence.”
“Kashani will now go to jail for beefing up the economy of one of the world’s most infamous sponsors of terrorism so he could make money, while circumventing US laws that were put in place to protect our national security interests,” commented the FBI agent in charge of the case, Joseph R. Bonavolanta.
Some of the imported products have helped Iran’s banking system in its operations, boosting the country’s economy and allowing greater access to funds – which will have supported Iran in the development of its nuclear program and in its terrorist activities, said the prosecutors.
Some products were classified as “information security” and were subject to controls by national security and anti-terrorism offices.
Kashani had pleaded guilty in this case in June 2022. In addition to the prison sentence, he will have to pay a fine of 50,000 dollars. He initially faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
