American officials have offered a reward of up to $15 million in exchange for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Iranian businessman Hossein Hatefi Ardakani, who is believed to have assisted in the procurement of attack drone technology for sale to Russia.
Following U.S. sanctions and charges against Ardakani, head of an electronics business, for allegedly supplying Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with dual-use technology for drone manufacture, the decision to offer a reward for information about a suspected export-control violation follows.
On Wednesday, the Treasury Department—which is responsible for overseeing export rules in the United States—made the prize public.
According to American claims, Russia's assault against Ukraine has made use of many types of drones provided by Iran. A tremendous growth of the nation's export-control system has occurred in response to that war and concerns about China's military aspirations.
Ardakani and his business network are the subjects of an information-sharing program run by the State Department, which aims to counteract dangers to national security. Decealed allegations from 2020 state that Ardakani conspired with a guy in China to buy parts for Iranian drones using shell firms.
For instance, analog-to-digital converters were reexported to Iran from Hong Kong by an unsuspecting French supplier. Prosecutors stated that on three further instances, the conspiracy used versions of that method.
According to the Treasury Department, who sanctioned Ardakani and associated entities in December, he is involved in a global procurement network that has acquired drone-related technologies, including servomotors and inertial navigation systems, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The State Department said that debris from Iranian drones in Ukraine and other locations had components sourced from the United States and acquired via Ardakani's network.
The 2020 indictment led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Ardakani. According to the prosecution, they thought he was overseas at the time. In its most recent notification, the State Department included Tehran among his known whereabouts.
Along with more conventional methods, the State Department has announced that it is now collecting tips via Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Tor.
A former Commerce Department advisor and current leader of the sanctions and export-control practice at the legal firm King & Spalding, Christine Savage, said that the United States does not seem to have ever offered a reward on someone is head for suspected breaches of export controls. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East show the actual effects of spreading sensitive technology, which is why the decision has come at a bad time.
She emphasized that this was not theoretical. "This is really causing chaos all across the globe." According to Savage, coordination between U.S. agencies has lately reached new heights. Matthew Axelrod, an officer in the Commerce Department in charge of the sanctions program, has extensive experience as a federal prosecutor.
Following U.S. sanctions and charges against Ardakani, head of an electronics business, for allegedly supplying Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with dual-use technology for drone manufacture, the decision to offer a reward for information about a suspected export-control violation follows.
On Wednesday, the Treasury Department—which is responsible for overseeing export rules in the United States—made the prize public.
According to American claims, Russia's assault against Ukraine has made use of many types of drones provided by Iran. A tremendous growth of the nation's export-control system has occurred in response to that war and concerns about China's military aspirations.
Ardakani and his business network are the subjects of an information-sharing program run by the State Department, which aims to counteract dangers to national security. Decealed allegations from 2020 state that Ardakani conspired with a guy in China to buy parts for Iranian drones using shell firms.
For instance, analog-to-digital converters were reexported to Iran from Hong Kong by an unsuspecting French supplier. Prosecutors stated that on three further instances, the conspiracy used versions of that method.
According to the Treasury Department, who sanctioned Ardakani and associated entities in December, he is involved in a global procurement network that has acquired drone-related technologies, including servomotors and inertial navigation systems, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The State Department said that debris from Iranian drones in Ukraine and other locations had components sourced from the United States and acquired via Ardakani's network.
The 2020 indictment led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Ardakani. According to the prosecution, they thought he was overseas at the time. In its most recent notification, the State Department included Tehran among his known whereabouts.
Along with more conventional methods, the State Department has announced that it is now collecting tips via Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Tor.
A former Commerce Department advisor and current leader of the sanctions and export-control practice at the legal firm King & Spalding, Christine Savage, said that the United States does not seem to have ever offered a reward on someone is head for suspected breaches of export controls. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East show the actual effects of spreading sensitive technology, which is why the decision has come at a bad time.
She emphasized that this was not theoretical. "This is really causing chaos all across the globe." According to Savage, coordination between U.S. agencies has lately reached new heights. Matthew Axelrod, an officer in the Commerce Department in charge of the sanctions program, has extensive experience as a federal prosecutor.
