An American Think Tank Director Accused of Mediating Oil Sales for the Islamic Republic

Gal Luft, a dual American-Israeli citizen and one of the directors of a think tank based in Washington, D.C., has been charged with multiple offenses including 'acting as an unregistered foreign agent', 'arms trafficking', 'violating U.S. sanctions' against the Islamic Republic, and 'false statements'. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, federal agents have accused Gal Luft of 'conspiring to advance China's interests in the United States' without registering as a foreign agent, including 'secretly employing a former high-ranking U.S. government official' to publicly support China's policies. Additionally, the U.S. Justice Department claims that Gal Luft attempted to mediate 'illegal' arms transactions with Chinese individuals and entities by 'violating U.S. arms control laws'. He is also accused of attempting to mediate the sale of oil from the Islamic Republic in violation of U.S. sanctions. According to the U.S. Justice Department's indictment, multiple crimes are listed that could result in a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison if convicted. U.S. prosecutors also accuse Gal Luft of mediating 'arms transactions' for Chinese companies and facilitating negotiations between Islamic Republic officials and a Chinese energy company despite U.S. sanctions. Previously, Gal Luft, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was arrested in the Republic of Cyprus but subsequently escaped law enforcement after being released on bail and remains at large. Meanwhile, this case is under investigation by the FBI with assistance from other security agencies, and Gal Luft is being pursued by U.S. attorneys and a prosecutor from the National Security Division.