Iranian-American Engineer Facing Ten-Year Prison Sentence in the U.S.

An Iranian-American engineer named Mozafar Khazaei is on the verge of receiving a ten-year prison sentence in the U.S. for sending what a court in America described as "sensitive military documents." According to the Associated Press, the prosecutor in Hartford, Connecticut, stated that Mr. Khazaei sent U.S. military documents to Tehran as part of a teaching application for universities in Iran. Mr. Khazaei had previously been employed by contractors for the U.S. Department of Defense and reportedly confessed to his crime about eight months ago in February of this year. Under U.S. law, the actions of this Iranian-American engineer constitute a violation of military export regulations. On Friday, November 1, during Mr. Khazaei's trial, the prosecutor stated that given the volume of documents he provided to Iranians and the sensitivity of these documents, this Iranian-American engineer deserves severe punishment. According to U.S. officials, Mr. Khazaei repeatedly attempted to send details related to the joint production program of the F-35 fighter jet to his home country. As noted on the official website of the joint Lightning II F-35 program, this program is designed to replace older models of aircraft used by the air forces of several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and their allies, with a new generation of advanced fighter jets known as the F-35. The prosecution has stated that "Dr. Khazaei wrote in documents sent to several technical universities in Iran that he collaborated as the 'chief engineer' on several projects with U.S. Department of Defense contractors and obtained documents and techniques that 'can be transferred to our industries and universities [in Iran].'" Mozafar Khazaei is accused of stealing information from his employers, including a jet engine manufacturer named Pratt & Whitney. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Khazaei sent a letter from his detention center to his judge, expressing remorse for his actions. In part of his letter, he wrote, "I certainly had no intention to harm the United States or any person or company." He further stated that he deeply regrets his misjudgment in sending classified materials. Mr. Khazaei earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico 21 years ago. In November 2013, U.S. Customs inspectors discovered sensitive military documents in a package sent to Iran that Mr. Khazaei had sent. Mozafar Khazaei was arrested two months later at Newark Liberty International Airport.