International Enforcement Actions

North Korean Rocket Materials Discovered Bound for Iran

On July 22, 2009, the United Arab Emirates seized 10 containers of North Korean military supplies labeled as oil boring machine parts on a freighter bound for Iran. Among the components reportedly taken were 2,030 detonators for short-range rockets, electric circuitry and solid-fuel propellant. The freighter, a CMA-CGM-owned vessel flying a Bahamian flag called the ANL Australia, took on the cargo in Shanghai before departing for Dubai. According to shipping records, the materials were ferried to Shanghai by a Chinese ship from the port of Dalian, where a North Korean vessel out of Nampo had left them two days earlier. The shipment was in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1747, which bars Iran from importing conventional arms.
July 1, 2009

Britain Freezes Business with Iranian State-Owned Bank and Shipping Line

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 States, and in August 2008 the European Union adopted new restrictions that included a call for E.U. countries to inspect suspicious air and sea cargo to and from Iran, particularly shipments involving IRISL and Iran Air. Requirements for additional pre-arrival and pre-departure information were also instituted for all goods brought into the European Union on cargo aircraft or vessels owned or controlled by Iran Air Cargo and IRISL.
October 1, 2009

U.S. Boards Freighter Carrying Arms Exported from Iran In Breach Of U.N. Sanctions

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 Organization (DIO), an entity designated under U.N. Security Council resolution 1737 for its involvement in Iran's nuclear program. The ship's manifest showed that the cargo was being transferred from Iran to Syria in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1747, which bars Iran from exporting arms. The "Hansa India" is registered to the Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg, though it has been under charter to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) for years. A notice issued by the Security Council committee charged with overseeing sanctions implementation called on countries to exercise "extreme vigilance" over IRISL activities, including by "subjecting its cargo to enhanced scrutiny."
October 1, 2009

Vessel Carrying Iranian Weapons Seized by Israeli Navy

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 Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL); a container labeling that showed the ship originated in Isfahan, Iran; pictures that showed "IRISL" stenciled on the containers' sides and "Ministry of Sepah"-labeled boxes; and a customs form stamped by Iran's armed forces. Polyethylene pellets found in the containers had markings indicating they were produced by Iran's National Petrochemical Co. Israel said the ship was carrying 500 tons of Iranian-made weapons for Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, including 20,000 grenades, 9,000 mortar rounds, 3,000 anti-tank shells, 3,000 Katyusha rockets, and more than 500,000 rounds of small arms ammunition. Iran and Hezbollah denied Israel's claims.
November 1, 2009

Iranian Government Procurement Agent Sent Military Electronics to Iran

Criminal indictments were unsealed in Delaware and Massachusetts relating to the prosecution of Iranian arms procurement agent Amir Hossein Ardebili. In May 2008, Ardebili pled guilty to multiple violations of the Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, smuggling, conspiracy and money laundering. He was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2009 and was reportedly deported back to Iran after serving his sentence.

January 20, 2016

Plane Smuggling North Korean Weapons Seized in Thailand

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. According to a Thai Air Force spokesman, the chartered plane began its flight in Pyongyang, and requested to land at Don Muang airport in Thailand to refuel.

December 1, 2009

Arrests, Sentencing in Conspiracy to Export Vacuum Pumps to Iran

Three men were charged in January 2010 connection with a conspiracy involving the illegal exportation and smuggling of specialized vacuum pump equipment with nuclear applications from the United States to Iran. Jirair Avanessian, an Iranian-born chemical engineer living in Glendale, California, where he owned and operated an import-export company called XVAC, was arrested that month. Another suspect in the case, an Iranian named Amirhossein Sairafi, was arrested by German authorities. A third conspirator, Farhad Masoumian, also Iranian, remains at large. According to the indictment, Avanessian received orders from Masoumian for certain items sought by individuals in Iran. Avanessian then purchased the vacuum pumps and related equipment in the United States and exported it to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), falsifying shipping documentation to disguise the nature and ultimate destination of the cargo. Sairafi received the goods in the UAE and re-shipped them to Iran, while Masoumian transferred several hundred thousand dollars to Avanessian’s U.S. bank account. Avanessian pleaded guilty to the charges, and on July 6, 2011, he was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Sairafi was extradited from Germany to the United States, pleaded guilty to the charges and, on March 7, 2011, was sentenced to 41 months' imprisonment.
July 30, 2011

Taiwanese Sentenced for Illegal Export of Dual-Use Components to Iran via Hong Kong

Yi-Lan Chen, a.k.a. Kevin Chen, of Taiwan, pleaded guilty on May 13, 2010, and was sentenced on August 27, 2010, to 42 months’ imprisonment for illegally exporting dual-use components to Iran. According to the complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida, customers affiliated with Iran’s missile program sent orders by e-mail to Chen. Chen then requested quotes from U.S. businesses and made arrangements for the sale or shipment of the goods to one of several freight forwarders in Hong Kong. These freight forwarders, which included Acteam Logistics Ltd.

September 1, 2010

Iran Procures Swiss-Made Pressure Transducers Via Chinese, Taiwanese Firms

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 Inficon's agent in Taiwan.

February 1, 2010

Italian Police Uncover Iranian Weapons Procurement Ring

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 military hardware. Police were still seeking two more Iranians.

March 1, 2010

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