America is imposing sanctions on Iran in an effort to curb an Iranian network that impersonated and defrauded US businesses in order to obtain technology for the Iranian military, the US State Department said.
The network, orchestrated by Iran-based Ali Majd Sepehr, defrauded dozens of US technology companies by posing as legitimate US businesses, according to a US State Department press release on Friday.
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.
The US State Department said it is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information that can lead to the disruption of the financing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In addition to announcing the sanctions on the network, the US Treasury Department amended one of its web pages addressing payments to Iran to ensure 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), stating 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 might incur sanctions, the US State Department said.
The PGSA condemned the sanctions on X/Twitter and stated that it considered being sanctioned by “a country whose leader takes pride in piracy” a sign of “positive performance.”
“You will not gain control over the Strait of Hormuz, which you failed to achieve through warfare and diplomacy, by means of sanctions either,” it said.