ICE Los Angeles special agents arrest Iranian national for violation of US sanctions

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an Iranian national July 10 upon arriving at Los Angeles International Airport for U.S. export violations.

“The circumvention of export laws to provide Iran with U.S. origin sensitive technologies is a huge national security concern,” said Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “This arrest has taken a dangerous member of an Iranian procurement network off the street.”

Bahram Mohammad Ostovari is alleged to have unlawfully exported U.S.-made electronic components used in railway signaling and telecommunications systems from the United States to an Iranian company by using his own companies in the United Arab Emirates as conduits.

Ostovari, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, was charged with violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Iranian transactions and sanctions regulations, unlawful export information activities, outbound smuggling, conspiracy to commit the aforementioned offenses and money laundering.   

From May 2018 to July 2025, Ostovari and his co-conspirators obtained and shipped to Iran sophisticated computer processors and railway signaling equipment. Many of these items were controlled under federal regulations and their export to Iran without a license is prohibited.

After Ostovari became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in May 2020, he continued to export, sell, and supply electronics and electrical components to a Tehran-based engineering company he owned, operated, and controlled. This firm — identified in the indictment as “Company A” — secured contracts to supply signaling and communications systems to Iran and its government, including on projects for the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways.

Ostovari, aware of U.S. sanctions against Iran, directed a co-conspirator to provide false information to a federal export control officer regarding the end use of the U.S.-origin goods they were shipping.

Furthermore, he directed co-conspirators at a UAE company to acquire the electronics and other components, including U.S. export-controlled items and other U.S.-origin items, for his company in Iran. Ostovari and his co-conspirators intentionally concealed from companies based in the U.S. and elsewhere the true identifies of the ultimate end users of the goods by providing false and misleading information about those end users.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted, Ostovari would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.

This is a collaborative investigation between ICE HSI Los Angeles, the United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations.

Anyone with information on the illegal export of U.S. sensitive technologies is encouraged to call the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to investigate violations of U.S. export laws at @HSILosAngeles.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)