Iranian National Lied About Using China to Smuggle Military Technology: DOJ
Iranian National Lied About Using China to Smuggle Military Technology: DOJ
Publish Date: 2026-06-09 05:00:00
Source Domain: www.military.com
An Iranian man has pleaded guilty to multiple federal felony counts stemming from what federal prosecutors described as a scheme to violate trade sanctions in place by the United States against his home country. China played a big role in the investigation.
The legal case against the 44-year-old Iranian national, Reza Dindar, goes back more than 10 years, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). He was originally indicted by a grand jury in August 2014. It wasn’t until July 2025 when Dindar was arrested in Panama at the United States’ request, leading to extradition in April 2026. All of that led to him pleading guilty June 5 to two counts of export to an embargoed country and two counts of smuggling goods from the United States.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez scheduled sentencing for Aug. 28, 2026. Dindar faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for being exported to an embargoed country, while charges for smuggling goods from the U.S are punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was prosecuted by assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg, while the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs worked with Panama’s government to secure the arrest and extradition. “Significant assistance” was also provided by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
U.S. agencies involved in the investigation include the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security – Office of Export Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
A Chinese Office at the Center of the Charges
Authorities said June 5 that Dindar’s smuggling activity violates U.S.-imposed sanctions against Iran based on presidential executive orders signed in March 1995 and later reimposed in 2001. Those orders prohibit the unauthorized exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States of any goods, technology, or…
