Iranian Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy for Violating U.S. Sanctions

An Iranian businessman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions by participating in a plot to export carbon fiber to Iran.

According to the DOJ, Behzad Pourghannad and two other defendants who remain in Iran conspired on multiple occasions to ship carbon fiber to Iran through third countries. The DOJ noted that carbon fiber could be utilized in connection with missiles programs, aerospace engineering, and the production of gas centrifuges to enrich uranium.

Mr. Pourghannad pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economics Powers Act and will be sentenced on December 13, 2019.