US sanctions target Iranian tech procurement network operating in Italy and the US

The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against an Iranian‑linked network that procured advanced American technology for Iran’s defence and nuclear programmes. The network, reportedly led by Ali Majd Sepehr, used fake U.S. company identities and digital channels to acquire items such as encryption tools, spectrum analyzers and covert‑surveillance equipment. One individual named in the sanctions is Saeid Zahedi, an Iranian citizen with Italian citizenship living in Rome. Professor Antonio Teti remarked that “Roma è diventata uno snodo della guerra tecnologica globale”.

In a related case, U.S. officials arrested Jamshid Ghomi, a dual U.S.–Iranian national residing in California and CEO of Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh. Prosecutors allege that Ghomi bought high‑technology goods through platforms like eBay and PayPal, routed shipments through front companies in the United Arab Emirates, and supplied them to the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, the Ministry of Defence and affiliated military‑connected firms, thereby evading OFAC export controls. Both investigations highlight how economic espionage, cyber‑enabled procurement and export‑control evasion have become central elements of the broader U.S.–Iran technology conflict.