An Iranian national with legal permanent residency in the US was arrested on a four-count federal indictment which alleged he exported electronics used in railway signaling and telecommunications systems from the US to Iran, the US Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs (OPA) confirmed on Friday.
Bahram Mohammad Ostovari, a 66-year-old resident of Santa Monica, California, and Tehran, Iran, was arrested on Thursday upon his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport and was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, OPA added.
Ostovari is the founder and CEO of a Tehran-based engineering company that supplied signaling and communications systems to the Islamic Republic's government, including for projects on the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, the indictment states.
From at least May 2018 until July 2025, he, along with co-conspirators, obtained and shipped sophisticated computer processors, railway signaling equipment, and other electronic components from the US to his company in Iran, despite these being controlled under federal regulations and requiring a license to export them to Iran.
To facilitate this, Ostovari utilized two UAE-based front companies that he controlled, and directed co-conspirators at these companies to acquire the electronics and components for his company, OPA alleged.
By doing so, they intentionally concealed that the goods were destined for Iran.
Illegal activities continued even as a permanent US resident
These activities continued after Ostovari became a lawful permanent resident of the US in May 2020, OPA added.
He was aware of US sanctions against Iran, and mentioned them in emails to his co-conspirators, the OPA noted.