Our Publications
This page contains summaries of the world's effort to enforce international sanctions against Iran by preventing it from buying weapons and the means to make them. The summaries cover prosecutions, interdictions of illicit cargo, and other enforcement actions.
International Enforcement Actions
August 1, 2010
Italian police seized 7 tons of RDX (T4) explosive found on board a cargo ship in the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro on August 28, 2010. The explosives were found aboard the vessel M/S Finland, which flies a Liberian flag, and is owned by a Swiss-Italian shipping company.
International Enforcement Actions
July 1, 2010
Mahmoud Yadegari, an Iranian-born Canadian citizen who ran a business in Toronto, was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months' imprisonment after being found guilty, in Canada, of attempting to illegally export U.S.-origin pressure transducers to Iran through Dubai in March 2009.
International Enforcement Actions
April 1, 2010
German federal prosecutors charged Iranian citizen Mohsen Afrasiabi, German businessman Heinz Ulrich Kessel, and Iranian-German dual national Bezhad Sahabi with violating an arms embargo against Iran and European Union export restrictions on dual-use materials.
International Enforcement Actions
April 1, 2010
An investigation was triggered when the International Atomic Energy Agency received an e-mail that alleged the shipment of illegal goods to Iran, naming Javedan Mehr Toos (JMT) as the recipient. JMT received valves used on cylinders to transport uranium powder, valves used in the uranium enrichment process, and vacuum gauges.
International Enforcement Actions
March 1, 2010
Italian police arrested two Iranians and five Italians as part of an operation uncovering a ring supplying weapons to Iran from Italy and via third countries. Working with authorities in Britain, Switzerland, and Romania, Italian police said they foiled plans to export tracer bullets, explosives, German-made optical gear, helicopters, and other...
International Enforcement Actions
February 1, 2010
An investigation revealed that in March 2009 Heli-Ocean Technology Co., Ltd., a Taiwanese company, shipped 108 pressure transducers to Iran. The gauges - dual-use items that are essential for centrifuge uranium enrichment, but have other, commercial applications - were ordered from Inficon Holding AG, a Swiss manufacturer. Heli-Ocean serves as...
International Enforcement Actions
December 1, 2009
A cargo plane carrying weapons from North Korea was impounded and searched by authorities in Thailand. The Ilyushin 76 transport plane was found to be carrying 35 tons of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, and surface-to-air missile components, in violation of a U.N. arms embargo against North Korea.
International Enforcement Actions
November 1, 2009
On November 11, 2009, the Israeli military released documentary evidence tying the arms cargo of the "Francop," a vessel seized by Israel's navy off the coast of Cyprus, to Iran. The merchant ship was flying the Antigua flag and was heading to the Syrian port of Latakia. Released documents included: a manifest indicating it was handled by Islamic...
International Enforcement Actions
October 1, 2009
U.S. troops boarded the German-owned freighter "Hansa India" in the Gulf of Suez in early October and discovered eight containers of ammunition and parts suitable for Kalashnikov rifles. The containers were secured when the ship arrived in Malta. The arms were found in barrels marked "Sazeman Sanaye Defa," the Farsi name for the Defense Industries...
International Enforcement Actions
October 1, 2009
Britain has frozen business with two Iranian entities, Bank Mellat and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), because they have supported Iran's missile and nuclear programs. These restrictions were implemented by Her Majesty's Treasury under the Counter-Terrorism Act of 2008. Both entities have already been sanctioned by the United...