Iranian spies arrested: US technology for drones to Iran!

Iranian spies arrested: US technology for drones to Iran!

In a dramatic incident that puts international relationships to the test, two men who are suspected of exporting highly sensitive US technology to Iran-technology that was used in a fatal drone attack on American soldiers in Jordan! The arrests were made by the US authorities and throw a bright light on the dark machinations in the shadow of the global technology market.

The two suspects are the 38-year-old Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian-American citizen and co-founder of an Iranian company, as well as the 42-year-old Mahdi Sadghi, an employee of the Massachusetts-based semiconductor manufacturer analogous devices. Both are suspected of violating US export laws by procuring technology that was used in a devastating drone attack on a US military base in Jordan in January. In this attack, three US soldiers were killed and 47 more injured!

The deadly attack and its consequences

Responsibility for the attack was attributed to the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, a group of Iran-supported fighters. The incident occurred near the Syrian border and has tightened the security situation in the region considerably. The US authorities are now reacting to this threat with all hardness.

"Today, in cooperation with our partners here and abroad, we have accused and arrested two men here and who tried to bypass US sanctions and to provide the Iranian government for the drone navigation that was used in this attack," said Lisa Monaco, the deputy US Justice Minister, in an official message. These words underline the determination of the US government to act against such illegal activities.

The arrests and the investigation

Abedini was arrested in Milan, Italy, at the request of the US government, which is now striving for its delivery. Sadeghi, a citizen of Iranian origin in the United States, was also arrested in Massachusetts. During a short hearing, Sadeghi was classified as a risk of escape and remains in custody until the next hearing.

The FBI's investigation showed that the highly developed navigation equipment used in the drone was produced by Abedini's company SDRA in Iran. Abedini is said to have used a company in Switzerland as a camouflage to procure US technologies from Sadeghi's employer. These technologies included accelerometers and gyroscopes, which were then sent to Iran.

"Sadeghi has helped several times since 2016 to procure US export-controlled electronic components," said the US Ministry of Justice. These revelations throw a disturbing light on the methods with which sensitive technologies can get into the wrong hands.

Analog Devices, Sadghi's employer, has confirmed that he worked for the company and emphasizes that the law enforcement authorities work to prevent unauthorized access to and abuse products and technologies. The US government coordinated the indictment against the two men about the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interior unit that focuses on combating "Illicit Actors" and aiming to protect sensitive technologies from enemy states.