Canadian-Iranian Man Sentenced To Prison Over U.S. Sanctions

A Canadian-Iranian man has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran.

U.S. prosecutors said Ali Soofi, a dual citizen, "conspired to export military items from the United States to Iran, both directly and through transshipment to intermediary countries, without a license" between 2014 and 2016.

A statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York added that the 63-year-old Soofi "sought to purchase and ship numerous items, including helicopters, high-tech machine-gun parts, tank parts, and military vehicles, from the United States to Iran, all without a license and while knowing that such shipments were illegal under U.S. law."

According to the December 15 statement, Soofi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran, and was sentenced to 32 months in prison with an additional one year of supervised release.

The United States has maintained or added unilateral sanctions linked to Iran's human rights record, alleged support for terrorism, and its controversial ballistic-missile program even after it lifted all nuclear-related sanctions after the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

With reporting by AFP