U.S. judicial authorities announced that an Iranian citizen with U.S. permanent residency was arrested upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly sending advanced electronic equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, Bahram Mohammad Estavari, 66, a resident of both Tehran and Santa Monica, was the founder and CEO of an engineering firm based in Tehran. Since 2018, he allegedly engaged in the illegal export of electronic equipment and components to Iran.
He was arrested on Thursday, July 10, upon entering the United States at LAX and appeared in federal court in Los Angeles later that same day.
Estavari has been charged with one count of “conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act” (IEEPA) and three counts of directly violating the law. Prosecutors say he exported components subject to strict export controls to Iran without the legally required authorization from the U.S. government.
U.S. Sanctions 22 Entities Tied to Iranian Regime’s Shadow Banking Network
According to the indictment, Estavari used two front companies based in the United Arab Emirates to carry out the transactions, concealing the final destination of the goods from American and foreign vendors.
He allegedly claimed that the UAE-based firms were the end-users, while in reality, the items were destined for his engineering company in Tehran.
The court documents state that the exported items included advanced computer processors, signal systems for railway infrastructure, and other complex electronic components—all of which fall under strict U.S. export controls and cannot be sold or shipped to Iran without special authorization. Prosecutors emphasized that Estavari was fully aware of the sanctions and deliberately violated them.
Estavari, who obtained lawful permanent residency in the U.S. in May 2020, pleaded not guilty during his federal court appearance in downtown Los Angeles and was released on a $1.3 million bond. His trial is scheduled to begin on September 2.
If found guilty by a jury on any of the charges, Estavari could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count—a sentence that would mark one of the harshest penalties for sanctions violations in recent years.
Estavari’s case emerges amid repeated warnings by the U.S. government in recent years about the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to acquire advanced technologies despite sanctions. Numerous Iranian nationals or individuals of Iranian descent have been arrested and prosecuted for circumventing these sanctions.
In recent months, as tensions between Tehran and Washington have intensified over Iran’s nuclear program, the strict enforcement of sanctions has once again become a central pillar of U.S. policy toward Iran. Cases like the one now opened against Bahram Estavari are seen in this context.
