Arrest of an Iranian-American in California; Charge: Attempting to Illegally Send Aircraft Parts to Iran

On Wednesday, August 15, the U.S. Department of Justice charged 68-year-old Jeffrey Chance Nader, an Iranian-American citizen, with attempting to illegally send American aircraft parts to Iran. Nader, who was arrested on Tuesday in California, faces charges related to violating U.S. economic sanctions and other federal laws. According to the indictment, Nader and his accomplices are accused of attempting since 2023 to illegally send several types of aircraft parts, including those needed for F-4 fighter jets, from the United States to the Islamic Republic of Iran. They allegedly falsely identified a registered California company as the end user of these items to suppliers. Reports indicate that after receiving the aircraft parts, Nader and his associates attempted several times to send these items to the United Arab Emirates for final delivery to Iran, but the items were seized by a special agent from the Department of Commerce, and none of them left the United States. Matthew Olsen, the Deputy Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice, stated that Nader's arrest demonstrates "America's commitment to preventing the Iranian regime from obtaining military equipment" and added, "We will continue to investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable criminal networks that supply sensitive technologies to hostile and repressive governments." The U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., also stated, "The Iranian regime's attacks and its proxies on U.S. allies in the Middle East and the continued supply of drones and technologies needed by Russia for its war against Ukraine show why we must do everything we can to prevent the Iranian regime from accessing American parts, services, and technologies." Robert Wells, the executive director of the FBI's National Security Branch, emphasized that "any circumvention of U.S. export control laws is unacceptable, and the FBI, in cooperation with its partners worldwide, is actively seeking to identify and punish individuals and companies that violate export laws." It is important to note that an indictment is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.