China-based Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation (ZTE) and a subsidiary, ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications, agreed to pay a combined civil and criminal penalty of $1.19 billion for illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea.  A five-year investigation led by the U.S. Commerce Department found that ZTE conspired to ship equipment with U.S. components to Iran, in violation of a U.S. embargo.  ZTE shipped millions of dollars worth of these items from 2010 to 2016, even after becoming aware that investigations into the transactions were underway.  The company was also involved in 283 shipments of telecommunications equipment to North Korea.  The conspiracy involved an elaborate scheme by ZTE executives to evade export controls and deceive investigators, including by establishing and using "detached" or shell companies to mask involvement in transactions involving Iran.  ZTE officials also expunged the word "Iran" from internal documents and emails and used code words to hide involvement with other embargoed countries. The settlement includes a $661 million payment to Commerce, with $300 million suspended during a seven-year probationary period, and a $100 million payment to the U.S. Treasury Department.  The U.S. District Court for Northern Texas may also impose a penalty of $430.5 million in combined criminal fines and forfeitures. 

Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan announced that a new marine cruise missile, the Nasir, was tested successfully during the Iranian Navy's annual naval drill. The Dehlaviyeh, an guided anti-ship missile, was also tested successfully. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports that as of February 18, 2017, Iran's stock of low-enriched uranium (LEU) is 101.7 kg, after 99.9 kg of LEU stuck in pipes and other equipment at a plant in Isfahan are deemed unrecoverable.  According to the IAEA report, Iran's stock of heavy water is within the 130-tonne limit set by the nuclear deal at 124.2 tonnes, after 11 tonnes were shipped to Oman. 

The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, announced that Iran's IR-8 centrifuges have a uranium enrichment capacity of 20 SWUs per year, compared to the currently installed IR-1 centrifuges at 1 SWU per year. Iran plans to mass produce IR-8 centrifuges beginning eight years after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.