Iranian admits exporting restricted aircraft parts

An Iranian-born US citizen pleads guilty to arranging the sale of parts for military aircraft in the latest case brought by the US to prevent controlled goods from reaching Iran.

NEW YORK // Hassan Keshari, an Iranian-born US citizen, has pleaded guilty to arranging the sale of parts for military aircraft in the latest case brought by the United States to prevent controlled goods from reaching Iran. Mr Keshari, who is 48 and lived in California, and his company, Kesh Air International Corp, acted as go-betweens in deals with a supplier of military aircraft parts in Florida, said a justice department statement on Monday.

The parts were shipped to buyers in Iran via Dubai and were for such aircraft as the F-14 Tomcat fighter, C-130 cargo plane and AH-1 attack helicopter. "I have to come clean, in mind more than anything else," Mr Keshari said in a Miami court hearing. "I am here accepting responsibility for that." His guilty plea to one conspiracy count could reduce his prison sentence. He faced a maximum prison term of five years and a fine of US$250,000 (Dh918,000) while his company could be fined up to $500,000. Sentencing was scheduled for April 8.

Mr Keshari received orders by e-mail from buyers in Iran for specific aircraft parts. He then requested quotes from Traian Bujduveanu, a Romanian-born US citizen, who operated a company called Orion Aviation Corp in Florida. Mr Keshari then made arrangements for the sale and shipment of the parts, using freight forwarders in Dubai, using false or misleading shipping documents, according to the indictment and documents filed with the Miami court during the plea hearing.

All the parts were manufactured in the United States, designed exclusively for military use, and designated as "defence articles", requiring registration and licensing with the state department. Mr Keshari has been in federal custody since June and will remain there until sentencing. Mr Bujduveanu was also in custody awaiting trial, set for May, unless he reaches a plea deal. "He's sitting at the table, but we have not reached an agreement at this point," said Melissa Damian, an assistant US attorney.

Last year, the justice department brought charges against 145 people for arms export or embargo violations. Almost half the cases involved Iran or China. The UN Security Council has imposed a series of sanctions against Iran designed to pressure it to reveal the details of its nuclear programme and to suspend its uranium enrichment programme. In a separate development on Monday, Susan Rice, the new US envoy to the UN, said Barack Obama's administration was looking forward to "vigorous diplomacy" with Iran.

She said the US strategy would involve direct diplomacy and continued collaboration with the Security Council and Germany. "The dialogue and diplomacy must go hand in hand with a very firm message from the United States and the international community that Iran needs to meet its obligations as defined by the Security Council, and its continued refusal to do so will only cause pressure to increase," she said.

Tehran's opponents, including Gulf states, have worried that Mr Obama might dilute pressure against Tehran, but Ms Rice's comments indicate a continuation of sanctions along with greater dialogue. As part of a tightening of sanctions against companies alleged to be involved in Iran's nuclear programme, the United States last month launched moves to seize a New York office tower it said was part-owned by the Tehran government through Bank Melli.