U.S. Justice Department Accuses Citizen of Ties to Iranian Intelligence

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday that Abouzar Rahmati, a former contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration, was officially charged in a Washington court with 'acting and attempting to act as an agent of the Iranian government in the United States without notifying the Attorney General.' According to the indictment, 42-year-old Abouzar Rahmati, a U.S. citizen, had been in contact with Iranian government officials and their intelligence agents from December 2017 to June 2024. The report states that Rahmati gained access to sensitive non-public information through his work as a contractor and provided non-public information about the solar energy industry in the U.S. to Iran. U.S. judicial officials stated that Mr. Rahmati lied about his background when applying for this job and did not mention his service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The U.S. Department of Justice emphasized in its statement that it will use all tools to identify and prosecute 'unknown agents of Iran or any other foreign government that seeks to infiltrate U.S. companies or government organizations.' No comments have yet been reported from Abouzar Rahmati or his lawyer regarding the allegations.