WANA (Jun 04) – United States federal authorities have arrested a 63-year-old Iranian-American businessman on charges of violating U.S. sanctions and allegedly exporting prohibited technology to Iran.

 

Federal officials stated that Jamshid Ghomi was detained under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which prohibits U.S. citizens from directly or indirectly exporting, selling, or supplying goods or technology to the Iranian government.

 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that Ghomi, who owns a computer networking company in Tehran, utilized his business activities over more than a decade to acquire networking equipment from the United States and illicitly route it to Iran, claiming some of the material was intended for Iran’s military and nuclear programs.

 

Procurement Networks and Financial Flows

According to U.S. media reports, federal prosecutors claimed that a substantial volume of American technology was purchased through Ghomi’s eBay and PayPal accounts. Portions of the equipment were reportedly sourced directly from suppliers in Minnesota and Nebraska before being transshipped to Iran via the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 

In an official statement, the DOJ alleged that between 2014 and 2018, Ghomi orchestrated the smuggling of over 250 metric tons (approximately 275.6 U.S. tons) of networking equipment into Iran. The operation reportedly utilized freight forwarders and intermediaries in Dubai to conceal Iran as the final destination.

 

The Justice Department further claimed that the proceeds from these sales, estimated to exceed $15 million over a 13-year period, were funneled into Ghomi’s U.S. bank accounts via money exchange companies located in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE.

 

Authorities additionally accused him of failing to report these revenues to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), allegedly mischaracterizing them as foreign inheritances.

 

The DOJ noted that if convicted on all counts, Ghomi faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

 

Pattern of Targeting Iranian Nationals

This enforcement action is part of an ongoing trend by U.S. authorities targeting Iranian nationals and academics within the United States on similar trade violation charges.

 

Past high-profile cases include the detentions of university professor and scientist Sirous Asgari in 2020, Nousha Fathi in 2021, Negar Ghodskani in 2015, Behrooz Makvandi in 2018, and Kamran Lajevardi, all of whom faced similar allegations of bypassing unilateral U.S. trade restrictions.