Federal authorities in the United States arrested a California-based technology executive on June 3, 2026, on charges that he spent more than a decade running a covert supply chain that funnelled restricted American networking and encryption hardware to some of Iran’s most sensitive state institutions including the agencies overseeing its nuclear programme and its military. The arrest, announced by the US Department of Justice, represents one of the most significant sanctions enforcement actions against an Iran-linked procurement network in recent years.
Jamshid Ghomi, 63, a Newport Coast resident and CEO of Tehran-based Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd. (FPR), was arrested on a federal criminal complaint accusing him with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Ghomi is a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, which afforded him access to American suppliers and financial systems that a purely foreign national would not have had.
“A dual US-Iranian citizen and chief executive of a Tehran-based technology firm has been apprehended in the United States on federal charges concerning a decade-long operation to unlawfully export American-origin networking and encryption hardware to Iran’s nuclear and military sectors in breach of sanctions regulations.”~ANI
A Decade Of Smuggling: eBay, UAE Front Companies, And 250 Metric Tons Of Hardware
The alleged scheme was not a one-off transaction or an opportunistic violation. Authorities allege that between 2011 and 2023, Ghomi used personal eBay and PayPal accounts, along with front companies and freight forwarders in the United Arab Emirates, to illegally route controlled US technology to Iran without obtaining the required licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The mechanics of the operation were deliberate and layered. By purchasing equipment through personal accounts on commercial platforms and routing shipments through UAE-based intermediaries, Ghomi created a paper trail designed to obscure the true end destination of the hardware. The UAE, which maintains significant trade infrastructure and operates as a major re-export hub, provided the logistical cover needed to move goods from American suppliers to Iranian recipients without triggering direct sanctions red flags.
Between 2014 and 2018, Ghomi orchestrated the smuggling of over 250 metric tons of computer equipment into Iran via Dubai. Between 2014 and 2022, FPR actively supplied encryption and networking equipment to Iran’s Ministry of Defense. From 2017 to 2023, FPR registered as an approved vendor and supplied hardware to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. In 2023, Ghomi personally negotiated direct equipment purchases from suppliers in Minnesota and Nebraska, routing them through a UAE front company.
FPR’s annual sales approached $10 million, and its customer list included sensitive Iranian governmental enterprises. The total worth of the criminal operation is believed to be $15 million over the entire period, reflecting both the volume and strategic importance of what was being transferred.
“California tech CEO arrested for allegedly smuggling sophisticated US networking and encryption equipment to Iran’s military and nuclear programs. Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast faces federal charges of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.”~FOX 11 Los Angeles
Nuclear Agency, Ministry Of Defence:
What transforms this case from a standard export control violation into a national security matter of considerable gravity is the identity of the end users. Prosecutors reveal that from 2017 to 2023, FPR supplied networking equipment to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the agency overseeing Iran’s uranium-enrichment and nuclear programmes. The AEOI is a sanctioned entity meaning any transaction with it by a US person or through US-origin goods is explicitly prohibited under American law.
The Ministry of Defense links are also substantial. Between 2014 and 2022, FPR actively sold encryption and networking technology to Iran’s Ministry of Defense, which handles Iran’s conventional and unconventional military capabilities. Encryption gear, in example, has dual-use sensitivity: it may be used for civilian communications, but it can also be utilized by a military ministry to secure command-and-control communications that support weapons systems and operations planning.
“As alleged, Ghomi enriched himself by supplying US technology to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and other sanctioned entities responsible for Iran’s nuclear programme,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will hold accountable those who violate our laws to further Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”
“Feds charge tech CEO with funneling $15M in illegal Iran equipment sales. Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast, California, was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — a decade-long smuggling operation through UAE front companies.” ~Washington Times
US Sanctions Enforcement Tightens Around Iran:
The arrest of Ghomi arrives in the middle of an already tense period between the United States and Iran. Active nuclear negotiations are underway between the two governments, with the Trump administration having restarted talks aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief. Against that diplomatic backdrop, the Justice Department’s prosecution of an individual who allegedly spent a decade helping Iran’s nuclear establishment acquire American technology sends a deliberate signal: the enforcement apparatus continues to operate regardless of what is happening at the negotiating table.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated: “Ghomi is accused of aiding our declared enemies by selling US-origin computer networking parts to Iran and earning millions of dollars in violation of US sanction laws. Our nation’s laws prohibit this conduct for good reason.”
The case was built in collaboration with federal agencies such as the FBI, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and Homeland Security Investigations, showing how seriously the US government takes export control violations linked to adversarial state programmes. If convicted, Ghomi may face up to 20 years in prison on the IEEPA conspiracy charge.
