US Arrests Iranian CEO on Pretext Of Violating Anti-Tehran Sanctions

Bahram Mohammad Ostovari, 66, a resident of Santa Monica and Tehran, Iran, was arrested Thursday afternoon upon his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport, the US Justice Department said in a statement on Friday.

Ostovari is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and three counts of violating the IEEPA.

According to the indictment, he was allegedly charged with unlawfully exporting electronics—including railway signaling and telecommunications systems—from the United States to Iran, where he provided the technology to the Iranian government for use in the country’s railways.

Ostovari and his alleged accomplices, the indictment says, procured and shipped advanced computer processors, railway signaling systems, and other restricted electronic components to his Iran-based firm between May 2018 and July 2025.

The Justice Department claimed that to facilitate the scheme, he routed shipments through two front companies he controlled in the UAE.

“Many of these items were controlled under federal regulations, and their export to Iran without a license was prohibited,” the US Attorney’s Office says.

The Office claims that Ostovari and his associates allegedly intentionally concealed from electronics suppliers in the United States and elsewhere that the items were destined to go to Iran, falsely stating that the two companies in the UAE were the end users.

If convicted, Ostovari would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

The US ramped up its economic sanctions against Iran in 2018 following President Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This action came despite Tehran’s full adherence to all its nuclear-related commitments under the deal.

Iranian officials have repeatedly denounced these sanctions as both cruel and illegal under international law, maintaining they disproportionately harm civilians by restricting access to essential goods and medicines while proving politically ineffective.