U.S. Federal Court Sentences Former Iranian UN Representative Advisor to Three Months in Prison

A federal court in New York sentenced Ahmad Sheikhzadeh, a former advisor to Iran's UN representation, to three months in prison for filing false tax statements and collaborating to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran. According to Reuters, Sheikhzadeh unusually took the witness stand on Friday and denied the charges brought by prosecutors in July of this year. Prosecutors stated they have documents indicating that Sheikhzadeh facilitated a meeting between a U.S.-based nuclear scientist and Hassan Rouhani, the current president of Iran and former head of the Islamic Republic's nuclear file, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister. These new allegations against Sheikhzadeh emerged despite his acceptance of charges related to tax evasion and sanctions violations in December of last year. The 61-year-old Sheikhzadeh told the judge that investigators pressured him to provide information regarding Iran's representation at the UN. He emphasized that he would not cross that red line. He also stated that by accepting the charges, he took responsibility for his actions. Judge Palma Chen of Brooklyn stated that the allegations concerning the relationship with the nuclear scientist would not be considered. After the court session, Sheikhzadeh described the ruling as 'unjust.' The indictment mentioned that Sheikhzadeh failed to inform the U.S. Treasury Department about his business relations with Iran, thus violating regulations regarding the control and restriction of economic relations between the two countries. According to prosecutors' documents, he received cash monthly payments from 2008 as an advisor to the Iranian delegation and saved this money in Citibank. Prosecutors also claimed that Sheikhzadeh reported his income to the U.S. tax authorities as less than the actual amount from 2008 to 2012.