The United States announced new sanctions and an effort to dismantle an Iranian network that impersonated and defrauded US businesses in order to obtain technology for the Iranian military, the US State Department announced on Friday.
The network is led by Iran-based Ali Majd Sepehr and defrauded dozens of US technology companies by posing as legitimate US businesses, according to a department press release.
Using fake websites and intermediaries in Dubai to receive shipments, the network sought to acquire advanced equipment, including spectrum analyzers and security detection devices for Iran’s defense sector.
Additionally, the department is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the disruption of the financing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In addition to announcing the sanction on the network, the US Treasury Department amended one of its web pages addressing payments to Iran in order to guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which is unauthorized for any US person or institution.
PGSA sanctioned
The page discussed Iran’s new Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) and states that it has been designated pursuant to counterterrorism authorities “for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC.”
Engaging in any kind of transaction with the PGSA carries sanctions risk, the department stated.
The PGSA responded to the sanctions on X/Twitter, condemning the sanctions and adding that it considered being sanctioned by “a country whose leader takes pride in piracy” as a sign of “positive performance.”
