Former New York Mayor Joins Reza Zarrab's Legal Team

Reza Zarrab, a prominent Iranian-Turkish businessman imprisoned in New York for allegedly circumventing U.S. sanctions against Iran, has added former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to his legal team. According to the New York Times, Zarrab's case has become one of the issues affecting U.S.-Turkey relations. The report states that last month, Giuliani, along with another prominent lawyer, Michael B. Mukasey, traveled to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Mukasey, a former U.S. Attorney General, is also noted as a close associate of President Donald Trump. An unnamed source provided this information to the New York Times, adding that the trip was at Zarrab's request. Giuliani has very close ties to Trump, and his trip to Turkey raises speculation about high-level U.S. government involvement in Zarrab's case. Erdoğan has previously publicly condemned Zarrab's detention in the U.S. Trump has also frequently spoken about warming relations with Turkey during his presidential campaign. Zarrab, 33, was born in Iran and migrated to Turkey as a child, holding citizenship in both countries. He was arrested in Florida in April 2016. In addition to the charges against him regarding violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran, his name has also come up in connection with the case of Babak Zanjani, the Amanah Erdogan Foundation, the wife of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, or a major corruption case in Turkey. Zarrab has denied the charges against him. Previously, Bekir Bozdağ, Turkey's Minister of Justice, had met with Loretta Lynch, the U.S. Attorney General, calling for Zarrab's release, describing him as a Turkish citizen acting in accordance with the country's commercial laws, and claiming that his case has become political. Meanwhile, the prosecutor in Zarrab's case has also accused his brother, Mohammad Zarrab, of 'conspiracy' to conduct financial transactions on behalf of or for the benefit of commercial entities, government agencies, or companies controlled by Tehran. Mahan Air and Bank Mellat are among these companies and entities. The U.S. Attorney's Office states that Mohammad Zarrab, 38, also holds citizenship in both Iran and Turkey, but unlike Reza Zarrab, who is detained in the U.S., Mohammad Zarrab is currently free in Turkey. According to U.S. prosecutors, between 2010 and 2015, when Iran's nuclear sanctions were still in place alongside other ongoing sanctions, the actions of Reza and Mohammad Zarrab, Jamshidi, and Najafzadeh benefited not only Mahan Air but also Bank Mellat and the National Iranian Oil Company. The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that the Zarrab group and two other defendants were using an international network in Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and elsewhere to circumvent sanctions. Among the companies associated with this 'network' are 'Royal Holding' in Turkey, 'Durak Exchange', 'Flash Doviz' in Turkey, or 'Al Nafis' in the UAE.