Chinese Citizens Accused of Illegally Transporting American Technology to Iran’s Military
The Justice Department stated that a significant number of U.S.-origin commodities with military capabilities were exported from the United States to Iran.
Federal charges have been filed against four Chinese nationals for their alleged involvement in sending American electronics to Iran.
It is alleged that the defendants were part of a conspiracy to transport electronic components from the United States to China and Hong Kong for the benefit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an organization designated as a terrorist group by the United States.
The four individuals have been indicted for illegally exporting and smuggling U.S. export-controlled items to Iran through China and Hong Kong over a period of thirteen years.
According to the charges, the defendants used various front companies in China to funnel dual-use technologies, including electronics and components used in the production of drones and ballistic missile systems.
These products were sold to sanctioned Iranian entities linked to the IRGC and Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which oversees the regime’s production of missiles and drones.
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“Such efforts to unlawfully obtain U.S. technology directly threaten our national security, and we will use every tool at our disposal to sever the illicit supply chains that fuel the Iranian regime’s malign activity,” Mr. Olsen stated.
China–Iran Ties
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership vowed to “firmly support” Iran following the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war in October, which has resulted in over 160 attacks on American troops by Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified to Congress on Jan. 30 that the effort was part of a broader strategy by China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia to provide mutual support against the United States.
Mr. Pompeo stated, “There are Iranian drones going to Russia to kill Ukrainian kids. There’s Russian energy flowing to China. There’s Chinese semiconductors flowing to the Russian defense industry. There’s Iranian oil [going] into both Russia and China.”
“These actors are working to undermine the things that matter most to us here at home.”
This campaign has led to a series of charges brought by U.S. law enforcement against China-based actors accused of stealing or illegally exporting advanced American technologies.
