Investigations into Huawei for Violating Iran Sanctions

American media reported on Wednesday, April 24, citing government officials, that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting investigations into the Chinese company "Huawei" regarding its potential violation of sanctions against Iran. According to these reports, including those from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, the investigation into "Huawei" began after the U.S. Treasury Department issued a subpoena related to sanctions against Iran for the company. Reuters, citing two informed sources, stated that the investigation into this company has been ongoing since at least 2016, aiming to determine whether "Huawei" has transferred American products to Iran and other sanctioned countries. Prior to this news, the U.S. had restricted or cut off access for two Chinese companies, "Huawei" and "ZTE," to the American market. These actions were taken due to suspicions that these two companies were using their technologies for espionage against the U.S. Two informed sources told Reuters that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, New York, is handling the investigation into the violation of Iran sanctions. However, a spokesperson for the Attorney's Office declined to confirm or deny this news. "Huawei," the largest manufacturer of telecommunications network equipment in the world, is also ranked third globally in the smartphone market. Following the recent reports, the company stated that it complies with all laws and regulations in its field of operation, including those related to export control and sanctions from the UN, the U.S., and the European Union. The investigation into "Huawei" is similar to the case of "ZTE" regarding the violation of Iran sanctions. The Chinese company "ZTE," a supplier of smartphones to the U.S. market, was penalized by the U.S. Department of Commerce about two years ago for violating Iran sanctions. These restrictions were imposed after Reuters reported that this major Chinese company had signed contracts to sell millions of dollars worth of hardware and software produced by several well-known American companies to the Iranian telecommunications company. Among the names of American producers whose products were sold to Iran through this Chinese company are well-known names like Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett Packard (HP), Oracle, and Dell. All these companies have stated that they were unaware of the sale of their products to Iran. A year prior, the U.S. Department of Commerce had released documents indicating that senior executives of this company were involved in exporting American goods to Iran, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, and Cuba.