The U.S. Department of Justice is pressing charges against four Chinese nationals for their alleged role in exporting American electronics to Iran. These individuals are accused of smuggling electronic components from the United States through China and Hong Kong to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an entity designated as a terror organization by the United States.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen stated that the defendants orchestrated a scheme to smuggle U.S.-manufactured parts to the IRGC and the Iranian agency charged with developing ballistic missiles and UAVs in an elaborate operation that spanned over a decade. The group was charged for unlawfully exporting and smuggling U.S. export-controlled items through China and Hong Kong from 2007 to 2020. They allegedly used front companies in China to funnel dual-use technologies, including electronics and components that could be utilized in the production of drones and ballistic missile systems. These products were sold to sanctioned Iranian entities with ties to the IRGC and Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
The Justice Department noted that a vast amount of dual-use U.S.-origin commodities with military capabilities had been exported from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions and export control laws and regulations.
The operation, coordinated by the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, is part of broader efforts by U.S. law enforcement to prevent critical technology from flowing to authoritarian powers. The CCP leadership has steadfastly vowed to support Iran, with China and Iran increasingly coordinating their actions to undermine U.S. national security. It has led to a series of charges brought by U.S. law enforcement against China-based actors accused of stealing or illegally exporting advanced American technologies.