Mozaffar Khazaee (also known as Arash Khazaie), a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport on January 9th while attempting to fly to Tehran.  Khazaee was charged with allegedly transporting, transmitting and transferring "goods obtained by theft, conversion or fraud."  U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security agents intercepted documents, including technical manuals, specification sheets, and other materials, related to the U.S. Air Force's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and jet engines. Khazaee had attempted to ship the materials from Connecticut to Hamadan, Iran, via Long Beach, California.  He allegedly stole the documents from his employer, a U.S. defense contractor working on the F-35 joint strike force project.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been fined $100 million for violating international sanctions against Iran and other countries by removing codes that would have identified payments involving those destinations. RBS reached the settlement with New York State’s Department of Financial Services, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department. Regulators in New York alleged that the bank facilitated over 3,500 transactions, totaling as much as $500 million, between 2002 and 2011.

In an interim deal reached with the P5+1, Iran agrees to suspend uranium enrichment above 5 percent and to limit other parts of its nuclear program, in exchange for temporary relief from some economic sanctions. The agreement is designed as the first step toward a comprehensive accord to be completed in six months.  It bars Iran from installing or operating new centrifuges and requires Iran to convert its current stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium. Tehran will also refrain from installing major components at the Arak heavy water reactor and will allow international inspectors to conduct daily monitoring at nuclear facilities. In exchange, Iran will be given access to up to $7 billion in frozen assets and receive relief from certain trade sanctions, which will be reinstated if Iran breaches the deal's terms.

A Hamburg court sentenced a German businessman and three German-Iranians for smuggling nuclear-related items to Iran.  In 2010 and 2011, the four men allegedly procured and shipped parts for Iran's heavy water reactor in Arak, claiming that the goods were destined for Turkey and Azerbaijan.  U.S. intelligence services informed German authorities in 2009 about the planned illegal shipments, but the German Federal Office for Export Control still approved the exports.   Ninety-two valves were sent to Iran by a German businessman identified as Rudolf M. via Iranian middleman Hossein Tanideh, who is currently in jail in Turkey.  Rudolf M. was assisted by three men identified as Gholamali K., Kianzad K., and Hamid K.