An Iranian citizen has been charged in a federal court with plotting to evade US sanctions to send aircraft parts to Tehran, the Justice Department said in a press release.
“Peyman Amiri Larijani, 33, a citizen of Iran and former resident of Istanbul, Turkey, was charged in a United States District Court for the District of Columbia in two separate indictments”, the release stated on Tuesday.
A 34-count indictment charges Larijani and Turkish based company Kral Aviation with conspiracy to acquire US origin aircraft parts and other goods to send to end-users in Iran, the Justice Department said.
Larijani is charged with conspiring to equip an Iranian airline that had been designated by the US government as supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the release said.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have recently escalated.
US President Donald Trump designated the IRGC, which is part of the Iranian Armed Forces, a terrorist organization in mid-April. Tehran responded by accusing Washington of supporting terrorism and labelled the US Central Command a terrorist organization.
Tehran also announced its decision to suspend some of its obligations under the JCPOA on 8 May, exactly one year after an abrupt US withdrawal from the agreement.
Iran has also given other signatories — France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and the European Union — an ultimatum, saying it would step up uranium enrichment in 60 days if they did not shield Tehran from US sanctions. Tehran said its recent decision was a response to Washington violating the JCPOA.
Source » isicrc