DOJ Announces Guilty Plea and Indictment in Illegal Dual-Use Export Scheme to Iran
Saber Fakih of the United Kingdom pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to illegally exporting and attempting to export an industrial microwave system (IMS) and counter-drone system to Iran, the Department of Justice said. Fakih also admitted conspiring with Bader Fakih of Canada; Altaf Faquih from the United Arab Emirates; and Alireza Taghavi of Iran. Fakih's actions violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulation, DOJ said Jan. 27.
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The IMS and counter-drone system are dual-use items with military applications as a high-power microwave-based directed-energy weapon systems and a mechanism to take control of target unmanned aerial vehicles, respectively, DOJ said. Fakih faces up to 20 years in prison and/or a $1 million fine for violating the IEEPA.
DOJ also announced that Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad was indicted on charges of smuggling, wire fraud and unlawful export information activities, among others, from the same export scheme. Rohollahnejad was added to the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List in March 2020 for procuring goods on behalf of a Specially Designated National (see 2003130029). Rohollahnejad and Taghavi allegedly served as representatives of the Rayan Roshd Asfzar company, which has been linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the indictment said.