US jails Iranian businessman for violating sanctions

An Iranian businessman Behzad Pourghannad was sentenced to 46 months in prison for violating US sanctions against Iran, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday.

The US department, in a release, alleged that Pourghannad had participated in exporting carbon fibre from Washington to Tehran between 2008 and 2013, reported Xinhua.

"Behzad Pourghannad conspired to circumvent U.S. export controls on carbon fibre, a substance with numerous military and aerospace applications," said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman for the Southern District of New York.

According to the press release, Pourghannad and two others had shipments of carbon fibre shipped to a third country under labels of other materials to evade U.S. customs.

Pourghannad was arrested in Germany in May 2017 and extradited to the United States in July this year. He had pleaded guilty in a US court in August.

Due to U.S. sanctions, Iran requires permission from the U.S. Department of Treasury to export certain materials to the country.