A former semiconductor engineer pleaded not guilty Friday in Boston federal court to charges of illegally providing technology to an Iranian company connected to a deadly drone attack on US service members in Jordan. Mahdi Sadeghi is a dual US-Iranian citizen charged with violating US export controls and sanctions laws.
The charges arise from allegations that Sadeghi provided US-origin technology to Iranian navigation systems manufacturer San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co., which has been linked to Iran’s IRGC. The company’s systems allegedly were used in a drone attack on January 3 that killed three US Army Reserve soldiers in Jordan and injured 47 others. The White House said the attack was carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed militant groups.
Sadeghi, formerly an Analog Devices employee was arrested on December 16 and subsequently dismissed by the Massachusetts-based company. The prosecutors claim that he played a role in the provision of electronic components to this Iranian firm, which even included those in the drone’s navigation system used to carry out the attack.
According to court filings, Sadeghi established an affiliated Iranian company after a 2016 trip to Iran, where he sought funding for a fitness wearables startup. Through this entity, he allegedly collaborated with Mohammad Abedini, head of the Iranian navigation firm, to procure US technology. Prosecutors claim Sadeghi later helped Abedini’s company secure a contract with Analog Devices via a Switzerland-based front company.
Abedini, more popularly known as Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, was arrested in Italy and extradition proceedings were begun. Iranian officials, of course, have protested and denied any involvement over the Jordan attack and strongly condemned the arrests of Sadeghi and Abedini for violations of international law.
Sadeghi is still in jail, with a bail hearing set for January 2. Defense lawyers say that negotiations with prosecutors on release conditions are ongoing. The case fits within the larger context of the US effort to counter Iran’s alleged military activities and hold individuals accountable for circumventing sanctions.
Prosecutors said the case has wider implications, given the dangers of supplying sensitive technology to entities linked to hostile foreign governments.
