British citizen jailed for scheme to export dual-use items from US to Iran
A British citizen was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a court in Washington D.C., for attempting to export dual-use items to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (‘IEEPA’) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.
According to the plea agreement, Saber Fakih, 48, had conspired with accomplices from Canada, the United Arab Emirates (‘UAE’) and Iran ‘to export and attempt to export an Industrial Microwave System (‘IMS’) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran,’ without a licence.
‘Saber Fakih’s co-conspirators held themselves out as procurement agents of Rayan Roshd, which has since been sanctioned by the U.S. Government for its procurement activities related to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC),’ the US Attorney’s Office in the US capital said, 1 February.
It said another co-conspirator, Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad – who was designated by the US Commerce Department in March 2020 for procuring goods on behalf of another designated individual – was also charged with smuggling, wire fraud and related offences arising from the same scheme.
Between 2017 and 2018, Fakih and his co-conspirators attempted to export to Iran items that had potential civil and military uses, the attorney’s office said. ‘Potential military uses of the industrial microwave system (IMS) (with some modification) include high-power microwave-based DirectedEnergy Weapon systems. The counter-drone system, which has both commercial and military uses, can be used to stop, identify, redirect, land or take total control of a target unmanned aerial vehicle,’ it explained.
Fakih was arrested in the United Kingdom and extradited in January 2022 to the United States.
