An Iranian-American Sentenced to Prison for Sending Heavy Equipment from the U.S. to Iran

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday that Jalal Hajavi, a 60-year-old Iranian-American businessman residing in Virginia, has been sentenced to prison for illegally exporting heavy equipment from the U.S. to Iran via the United Arab Emirates. According to the statement, he was convicted by a jury in September 2023 of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and regulations regarding transactions and sanctions against the Islamic Republic, smuggling, and illegal export and re-export of goods from the U.S. to Iran, receiving a 24-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Hajavi smuggled sanctioned export shipments through the UAE to Iran, equipment that fuels the Islamic Republic's malign activities abroad and threatens U.S. security. Matthew Axelrod, Assistant Attorney General for Export Enforcement, emphasized in the statement that 'sending items to the Islamic Republic, regardless of whether it is done directly or through a third country, is against the law.' Ryan Buchanan, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, also noted that 'Hajavi's behavior was somewhat defiant, as he had previously been warned at least twice that his actions were prohibited, and instead of heeding the warnings, he continued to transfer American goods to the Islamic Republic.' Despite previous warnings, Jalal Hajavi continued to transfer American heavy equipment to the Islamic Republic by providing false information in the automated export system, claiming that the equipment was exported to customers in the UAE, while the actual destination was the Islamic Republic. Earlier, in late September, a federal jury in Atlanta had charged Jalal Hajavi with 'attempting to violate the regulations regarding transactions and sanctions against the Islamic Republic and smuggling goods and illegal exports from the United States.' John Johnson, a special representative of the U.S. Department of Commerce, also commented on Hajavi's charges, stating that 'falsifying export documents in an attempt to conceal the transfer of American goods through the UAE to Iran is a serious violation of U.S. export laws.'