A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operated by Israeli airline El Al, en route to Los Angeles, takes off from Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on June 25, 2025. (Credit: Jack Guez/AFP)
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that it had arrested an Iranian man suspected of sending sophisticated electronic equipment to Iran in violation of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Bahram Mohammad Ostovari, 66, was arrested Thursday afternoon upon his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport. He is accused of illegally exporting railway signaling and telecommunications equipment to Iran.
According to the indictment, Ostovari is the founder and CEO of an engineering company based in Tehran that supplies the Iranian government, including for projects by the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways.
Between May 2018 and July 2025, Ostovari allegedly obtained and shipped advanced computer processors, railway signaling systems, and other electronic equipment to his Iranian firm.
To carry out the scheme, he is said to have used two front companies he controlled in the United Arab Emirates as intermediaries, in order to conceal the true destination of the equipment from U.S. suppliers.
The indictment states that Ostovari continued these illegal exports even after becoming a U.S. permanent resident in May 2020 and despite being aware of U.S. sanctions against Iran — referencing them in emails exchanged with accomplices.
If convicted on all four counts, Ostovari faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each charge.
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