Confession of an Iranian-American Citizen to 'Illegal Export of Industrial Equipment to Iran' After Two Years

Rahman Hantoush, known as 'Ray Hunt', a 70-year-old Iranian-American citizen residing in Alabama, confessed two years after his arrest to the illegal export of industrial equipment to Iran. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Hunt, who was arrested in the fall of 2022 on charges of fraud against the United States, violating sanctions, smuggling goods from the United States, and providing false or misleading export information, now faces a lengthy prison sentence and a one million dollar fine for violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. According to court documents, Hunt registered his company named 'Vega Tools' in Alabama in May 2014 and collaborated with two Iranian companies since 2015 to send equipment for use in Iran's oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. The court states that Hunt used deceptive methods to conceal his activities, such as using intermediary companies in Turkey and the UAE and providing false information to U.S. authorities. Hunt may face a maximum of five years in prison for conspiracy. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after reviewing sentencing guidelines and other legal factors. The Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce, and the FBI are still investigating his case. Long-standing U.S. sanctions against the Iranian government prohibit American companies from trading with the Islamic Republic or investing in Iran's energy sector, with violators facing severe penalties. On the second day of the Republican National Convention, Nikki Haley firmly defended Trump's hardline approach towards the Iranian government. The European Union extended sanctions against 12 individuals and 9 entities associated with the Iranian government. The U.S. sanctioned the company 'Hekimian Sharq' for its involvement in the Iranian government's chemical weapons program. A tanker released by the Islamic Republic is en route to the port of Sohar, Oman. The Islamic Republic released an American tanker that had been detained for a year.