Our Publications
International Enforcement Actions
March 15, 2013
Yemeni authorities seized a 130-foot dhow carrying surface-to-air missiles, explosives, and bomb-making equipment that originated from an Iranian military port and may have been intended for an insurgent group in Yemen. The seized cargo included 10 Chinese man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADs) labeled QW-1M possibly assembled by the China...
Articles and Reports
February 25, 2013
North Korea’s nuclear saga is a cautionary tale for anyone attempting to bargain with the Islamic Republic. Before making any halfway deal, U.S. and European diplomats should insist that Iran remove itself from the path that North Korea so easily followed. If Iran wants to convince the world that it has no desire to acquire nuclear weapons, then...
Roundtables
February 21, 2013
There has been a flurry of speculation recently about what to expect from nuclear talks with Iran to be held next week in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Back in December, the United States and its partners dusted off a proposal they had put to Iran earlier in 2012, with the hope that the increasing economic stress caused by sanctions would pull a more...
Articles and Reports
February 21, 2013
Talks with Iran over its nuclear program resume next week in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The stakes are high. Pressure from sanctions has increased, but Iran’s nuclear progress continues as well. Last year, the P5+1 negotiating partners – the five members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany – offered Iran an interim deal that addressed some...
International Enforcement Actions
February 7, 2013
A U.S. district court in New York charged Hamid Reza Hashemi, Murat Taskiran, and Amir Abbas Tamimi on December 5, 2012 with illegally exporting and attempting to export goods such as carbon fiber and helicopter parts from the United States to Iran.
Roundtables
February 6, 2013
During the past year, the United States, the European Union, and others have put into place the strongest sanctions yet against Iran. These measures restrict business with Iran’s energy, financial, and transport sectors and, in the case of the United States, penalize foreign companies and governments that support these sectors. Nevertheless,...
Articles and Reports
February 6, 2013
A tough new U.S. sanctions measure against Iran goes into effect today, restricting foreign governments from remitting payments for Iranian oil back to Tehran. The payments now must be kept within the banking system of the oil-importing country and can be used by Iran only to purchase local goods. If the local bank transfers the Iranian funds...
International Enforcement Actions
January 30, 2013
Spanish police have broken up a smuggling ring that was planning to ship nuclear components to Iran. The police operation, dubbed "Operation Alfa," began in March 2012. It resulted in two arrests and the interception of a truck owned by the Spanish company Fluval Spain S.L. and carrying dozens of highly corrosion-resistant Inconel 625 valves. The...
International Enforcement Actions
January 10, 2013
On January 8, 2013, retired British businessman Christopher Tappin was sentenced to 33 months in prison in an El Paso, Texas federal court for attempting to illegally export batteries used in the Hawk air defense missile to Iran via Britain or the Netherlands. In 2006, Tappin offered to sell the missile batteries for $25,000 to undercover U.S....
International Enforcement Actions
December 15, 2012
A U.S. district court in New York indicted Iranian citizen Alireza Moazimi Goudarzi on November 15, 2012, for his alleged role in illegally exporting and attempting to export military and civilian aircraft parts from the United States to Iran. Goudarzi used multiple pseudonyms, such as “Mikel Scofield,” “Mike Brown,” and “Sebastian Wilson,” and a...